Codename: TABASCO
by Island Breezes
Summary: Michael admits that he once had a secret life that only Max, Liz, and Maria know about. This story follows the episodes of the TV show, giving us the side of each show that the show never told us about.
1. Intro

**Codename: TABASCO**

**The Awesome Background And Secret Chronicles Of Michael Guerin**

**The creators and producers of "Roswell," Melinda Metz, who wrote the books, and Jason Katims, who brought us the TV series, deserve the credit for the Roswell concept, main characters, and events that occurred during the TV series, "Roswell," which I do not own but merely lead down a path of imagination through the stars of a destiny that might have been. **

**Anyone who has read the Altered Time Series or any of my other stories knows that they take place after the show ended. I borrowed the wonderful Roswell characters that Melinda Metz and Jason Katims gave us but used little or none of their dialogue or storylines, except as background for my stories, which are otherwise original and contain a host of children, Antarians, and aliens of my own creation. **

**This story, however, is different. It takes place alongside the TV episodes and is intended to mesh with the plotlines Katims and Metz gave us. Consequently, limited dialogue and storyline from the show will be used or mentioned from time to time in order to show us what the background of the part is… and to mesh the two stories together. Dialogue from the show, when used, will generally be in italics, though not all lines in italics will necessarily be from the show. I do not own anything from the show (except a chair from Jim Valenti's kitchen). I certainly do not own the characters or the dialogue from the show, and it is not my intention to imply ownership of anything but my own original storyline. The rest is the property of the WB, UPN, Jason Katims, Melinda Metz, and/or whoever else might hold copyright interest in the series and its characters.**

**With the exception of the fanciful prologue, which can only be explained as a product of my fantasy-and-sci-fi-damaged brain, each part of this story will take place during an episode of Roswell, starting with the pilot. I hope to offer plausible explanations for some of the more baffling quirks in the TV series as well as a plausible and entertaining alternate plotline. So sit back, read, and enjoy!**


	2. Prologue

**Codename: TABASCO**

**The Awesome Background**

**And Secret Chronicles Of Michael Guerin**

**Prologue **

**Inspiration On The Lam**

**She rolled over and pulled the pillow over her head, groaning pitifully… "Go away! I don't have anything for you. You want too much of me!"**

**I wasn't about to let her get away with that… not that easily… so I pulled the pillow off of her head. She glared at me and closed her eyes back in silence. I sat down on the bed, a bit hard, bouncing her… "I need you. My mind is a black tunnel… with nothing going through it! You're supposed to be there for me when I need you."**

"**I'm tired."**

"**Goddesses don't get tired."**

"**I'm not a goddess."**

"**Oh, don't split hairs! You're a Muse! Muses are some kind of goddesses… aren't they?"**

**She rolled over and looked at me. "I'm a Muse, not a slave. You don't seem to have grasped that concept. I have nothing for you. Get used to it!"**

**I stood up and looked at her, giving her my best b'I-don't-believe-this'/b look, but it flew right over her. If she's one thing, it's consistent…**

"**I need a vacation."**

"**Muses don't get vacations! They don't need them!"**

**She smiled a sort of b'shows-what-you-know'/b smile. "They do if you want inspiration… which I do not have for you… because I have not had a vacation in three years!"**

"**Why! Why! Why did I have to get a high maintenance Muse?" **

**She rolled over and swung the pillow over her head again.**

"**All right! Okay! You want a vacation? Fine! You can have a vacation."**

**She pulled the pillow off her head and looked at me… "Really?"**

"**Really. On Antar."**

"**Antar? That's no vacation! You want me to work!"**

"**No, no, no, no, no! You can relax, swim in the Golden Sea, hit the clubs, eat in the best restaurants, whatever you want. And you'll get to meet Max, Michael, Kyle, and Alex personally this time… if you want to."**

**That did seem to pique her interest… "How am I supposed to get there?"**

"**Just wiggle your nose or whatever it is you Muses do."**

**She rolled her eyes and sighed. "All right… I guess I could go to Antar. I'm not promising you any inspiration, mind you. But I will try to have a good time."**

"**Cute! Just remember that you're my Muse. I want something awesome and exciting when you get back."**

"**I'm a Muse, not a cheap goddess of the night. You need to talk to Bacchus about that. In fact, I'll speak to him for you."**

"**Oh! Funny! I thought you were all 'inspirationed' out! It looks like your wit is still sharp!"**

**She jumped out of bed and opened a drawer, pulling out undergarments and lingerie and throwing them into a suitcase. Then she hit the closet, filling another suitcase.**

"**What are you doing?"**

"**Packing… It's a long trip!"**

"**You're a Muse! Muses don't pack!"**

"**I'm not a guy, in case you haven't noticed. I WON'T wear the same clothes for two weeks!"**

"**TWO WE-… No, no, no! Not gonna happen! You can't leave me for two weeks! Two days maybe…"**

**I never actually knew if she heard my objections. She had already snapped her fingers and disappeared, along with two suitcases full of clothes and toiletries and six pairs of shoes…**

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**On the shore of the Golden Sea, Maria closed her eyes and leaned back in the sand, allowing the Antarian sunshine to warm the front of her bikini-clad body and the warm sand to warm her back. "I am so glad we're back on our Antar… on our beach… under our sun… with our kids… all together again. Aren't you, Michael?"**

**Michael smiled and leaned over to give Maria a passionate kiss on the lips.**

"**Ahem…"**

**Maria glanced past Michael at the young woman in the chic wraparound sarong standing behind him. "Can we help you?"**

"**You can if you're Maria and he's Michael Guerin."**

**Michael sat up and looked the young woman over suspiciously… "You have us at a disadvantage. You seem to know who we are, but I've never met you." **

"**Oh you have… sort of… You just don't know it."**

"**No… I think I would remember it if I had met you," Michael insisted, putting his arm around Maria and pulling her to him, as though to tell this girl… and the world -but most of all Maria- that he was taken, and happily so.**

**The young lady smiled. "Well, I'm not from Antar… and I need to talk to someone about…"**

"**Oh! You want our exalted leader!" Michael exclaimed, grinning boyishly, "He's right over there… with Liz. That would be his wife."**

**The young woman nodded. "I know."**

"**What's your name?" Maria asked, "I don't remember meeting you either."**

"**You have… on occasion. But that's not important."**

"**What are you," Michael asked.**

**The young woman seemed surprised by Michael's question. "I'm… a Muse."**

**Michael looked at her, puzzled… "What planet is that?"**

"**It's not a planet," said Maria, "It's a goddess… you know… of inspiration."**

**Michael nodded. "Oh, yeah! I heard about them. I didn't think they were real."**

"**Well, I am."**

"**Yeah, so I see. How do I know you're what you say you are?"**

**The young woman snapped her fingers, and two suitcases fell to the beach, one on each side of Michael.**

"**Wha-! Where did those come from?"**

**She opened one of the suitcases and propped the lid up to block the sun, then she snapped her fingers again.**

"**Where did she go?" Michael asked, looking around.**

"**Right here!"**

**Michael looked inside the suitcase. The mysterious girl was sitting cross-legged in a yoga position on top of her clothes, shaded by the open top of the suitcase.**

"**You're… little!" Michael exclaimed, bending over to look at the girl who now was about nine inches tall.**

"**That's so cool!" Maria gushed. "I wish I could do that! I guess you'd have to be a goddess."**

"**You should be able to do it just fine then," Michael said, grinning.**

**Maria smiled and patted Michael on the cheek. "Flattery will get you everywhere… when we're alone. But the kids are right over there… so are Max and Liz. And the others are around here somewhere."**

**Michael nodded and his lips rose into a one-sided, impish grin… "Yeah, Max might learn a few things."**

"**I was thinking about the kids… but yeah… he might," Maria agreed, with a wry smile. "We wouldn't want to corrupt him."**

"**Corrupt who?" Max asked, walking up at that moment with Liz. Right behind them were Isabel, Alex, Kyle, Jeliya, Tess, and Rayylar.**

"**Nobody," Maria said, grinning guiltily. **

"**Mom! Dad! Look what I found!"**

**Maria turned to look at their oldest son, ten-year-old Zorel, who had been wading in the surf. "What is it, Zor?"**

"**A neat seashell! It's one I haven't seen before. Who's the cute chick?"**

**Zorel smiled at the little Muse sitting in the suitcase, and she smiled back.**

"**Zorel, that's not a proper way to talk to… Muses… I don't think… is it," Michael said, admonishing him gently, "Where did you pick up that kind of talk?"**

"**The Earth channel… on TV."**

"**It's all right," the Muse said, snapping her fingers and returning to normal size. "At least he thinks I'm cute. The guy I'm supposed to be inspiring wouldn't notice if I were replaced with a lump of mud!"**

"**Maybe he's gay," Liz suggested.**

**The young woman snorted then laughed, shaking her head. "No, but I'll tell him you said that. Maybe it'll make him pay more attention to me." She sighed… "But I doubt it."**

"**Well, what's his problem," Michael asked, "You look very attractive to me."**

**The Muse smiled, and Zorel nodded enthusiastically. Maria moved a little closer to Michael and tightened her grip on his arm.**

"**Of course, I'm totally not looking for… you know… a girlfriend or anything like that," Michael hurried to add. "Maria's all the goddess I can handle."**

**The Muse smiled… Michael glanced at Maria and noticed a smile on her face, too.**

"**I don't have a girlfriend," Zorel said, grinning widely.**

**Maria pulled Zorel to her, putting one arm around him as she kept the other arm locked with Michael's arm… "Zorel, you're ten years old. I think you may be just a little young to be thinking about love just yet. Don't you think, Michael?"**

**Michael smiled at Zorel then abruptly looked at Maria and nodded vigorously. "Um… yeah… oh, yeah… he's… too young." He turned and winked at Zorel, and Zorel smiled.**

"**How old are you," Maria asked the young woman straight out, though she did smile amiably as she asked.**

"**Twelve thousand… give or take a few hundred."**

"**Years?" Kyle gasped.**

**The Muse nodded. "I'm a Muse."**

**Maria gave Zorel an 'I-told-you-so' nod. "You're way too young for her."**

"**I don't mind," Zorel said.**

"**Well I do," Maria replied, her voice displaying just a hint of aggravation.**

**Michael laughed and pulled Maria's arm off of Zorel and over to himself. "Don't worry about Zorel. He's just infatuated. It's normal for boys… for girls, too, I hear."**

**Maria sighed and nodded. **

"**You're cute," the Muse said, leaning over and kissing Zorel on the cheek, "And sweet, too. But I have a long term commitment to a man who thinks I look like mud."**

"**Well, that sucks," Zorel said boldly.**

**The Muse smiled, and Maria's eyes opened wide. "Michael, we really need to start monitoring the Earth channel better."**

**Michael nodded.**

"**Just for the record, Zorel," the Muse said with a wink, "You're right. Too bad my 'inspiree' can't seem to see it. All he ever wants is inspiration twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week."**

"**But isn't that what Muses are supposed to do?" Isabel asked innocently, "Inspire?"**

**The Muse sighed. "Well, yeah… but, well… he could notice me… just a little bit… once in a while…"**

**Michael smiled and looked at Maria, and she nodded understandingly. At that moment, seven-year-old Jayyd Guerin walked up and took her mom by the hand. "Hi. Who are you," she asked, looking the young woman over.**

"**She's a Muse," Zorel said.**

"**Oh." Jayyd nodded, turning back to the young woman… "Say something funny!"**

"**Jayyd!" Maria exclaimed.**

"**Well, Zorel said she's amuse. That means funny in Eluymerian, doesn't it?"**

**Michael nodded. "She's got a point." He put one hand on Jayyd's shoulder and smiled at her tenderly. "She's a Muse… It's two words. She's like… Shar'meya… in the Frebel-Ish stories."**

"**Oh! Cool!" Jayyd exclaimed, suddenly seeming very impressed by the young woman in front of her.**

**The Muse smiled.**

"**Are you here to 'spire us?" Jayyd asked.**

**The Muse grinned. "I've done that from time to time… without you knowing it. But I'm mainly here because my evil master, Doctor Crank'n'whine, wants inspiration."**

**Michael chuckled. "It looks to me like he's got YOU inspired… in a manner of speaking."**

**The Muse nodded. "He wants me to talk to you guys and find out something about you that no one else knows… something totally radical and… unknown."**

"**Us? Michael and me?" Maria asked, surprised.**

"**Well… or Max and Liz or Isabel and Alex or Kyle and Jeliya… or all of you."**

"**So he sent you all the way from Earth to get a story?" Maria asked.**

**The Muse nodded.**

"**Is he like… a pizzarazzi or PapaNazi or whatever those guys are," Michael asked, "The ones always looking for pictures and a wild story?"**

**The Muse grinned. "Paparazzi. No… actually, he's one of a number of people who still keep you guys alive since you were… abandoned by the big guy."**

"**God?" **

**The Muse shook her head and pointed downward.**

"**You mean… HIM?" Maria asked, horrified.**

**The Muse nodded. "A TV exec… down on Earth."**

**Michael shook his head. "That's old news. They could never cancel us from the memories and hearts of the people who love us. As long as they live, so will we. We are alive and kicking, I assure you."**

"**And nobody is happier about that than I am," the Muse said, looking Michael, then Max, Kyle, and Alex, over wistfully.**

"**Well… there is one thing you could tell her… about you, Michael," Max suggested hesitantly.**

"**There's nothing that anyone needs to know about me that isn't already known," Michael replied, shaking his head.**

"**Sure there is, Michael! There's that stuff about your secret life," Maria urged, "It's okay to tell everybody now. We aren't on Earth anymore. Besides, I think the kids would enjoy hearing it. Just keep it clean!"**

"**I don't like talking about me, Maria," Michael mumbled insistently, "Can't we talk about Max… or Kyle! Let's tell her something about Kyle!"**

"**Oh, like there's anything anybody would want to know about Kyle," Alex said dramatically.**

"**I live by the wisdom of Buddha," Kyle retorted, "They might want to hear some philosophy."**

**Alex yawned. "Old news, Kyle. Nobody's interested. I want to hear what kind of secret life Michael had that I didn't know about. Now that has promise… knowing Michael."**

**Kyle shrugged. "Well, like Buddha said… 'If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.'"**

"**That was Buddha?" Alex asked, surprised.**

**Kyle shrugged, "Could have been. Everybody has said it at one time or another. So Michael, what kind of perverted, sick life have you been hiding from the rest of us that I was never told about?"**

"**Wouldn't you love to know," Michael retorted feistily, "Too bad I'm never going to tell you."**

**Kyle looked at Michael suspiciously… "Wait a minute… Maria knows, Liz knows… and Max knows? Does anyone else know?"**

**Michael smiled. "No. And they're never going to. Too bad, Valenti. You're outta luck!"**

"**Oh wait!" Kyle said, looking like the fox that was about to swallow the rabbit, "I know the perfect story to tell her! Yxtiar!"**

**Michael looked at Kyle suspiciously. "Maria and I spent some time in the hot springs there. But you weren't there."**

**Kyle grinned. "No, but I heard something… about you."**

**Michael's smile disappeared. "What?"**

"**It had to do with an underwater current in one of the hot springs and your swim trunks… and a ticket for streaking through a tourist area… or something like that."**

**Michael spun around and looked at Maria with a look of betrayal.**

"**I… I didn't… I swear, Michael! I don't know how he found out! I would never…"**

"**What do you want, Kyle?" Michael asked, though the question came with an implied and understood threat. Michael WOULD –absolutely WOULD- dig up something on Kyle to get him back with. It was not a matter of if but when.**

"**I want to hear about your so-called secret life… the one only Maria, Liz, and Max know about."**

"**And you'll never mention the Yxtiar thing again?"**

"**Cross my heart."**

**Michael looked at Kyle for a long time, until Kyle began to wonder if he had made a mistake. Maybe Michael had some kind of X-ray eyes like Superman and he was burning a hole in him as they stood there. Kyle checked his shirt. No smoke… no holes… at least so far.**

"**Okay," Michael said unexpectedly. "I'll tell. Like Max said, we're not on Earth anymore. I guess it can't hurt for you guys to hear it now."**

"**Awesome!" Zorel said, plopping down on the sand beside his friends, Danyy Valenti and Alyyx Evans. Maya, JoLeesa, Andya, Jayyd, Kryys, Mareeya, Ceelya, Jiba, Drel, and the other children joined them. The adults sat down on the sand to listen, too, along with the Muse.**

**Michael took a big breath and shook his head. He really did not like talking about himself. He would much rather be talking about Kyle… if he had anything to tell. And he would… sooner or later…**

**End of Prologue**

**tbc…**


	3. Ep 100 Pilot, The Avenger

**Codename: TABASCO**

**The Awesome Background And Secret Chronicles Of Michael Guerin**

**Episode 100 – Pilot (The Avenger) **

**Michael looked around at everyone present and took a big breath… "It started in the CrashDown… that day when Liz got shot. When Liz fell, Max jumped up out of his seat and started towards her, and I grabbed him by the arm…"**

_**Max, what are you gonna do? **_

**Max yelled at Maria to call an ambulance, then he tore Liz's dress open, and we saw the blood. I knew right then that nothing was going to convince Max that what he was doing was wrong. So I tried to keep anyone from getting too close and seeing what he was happening… **

_**Hey, get back! **_

**Max kept telling Liz that she had to look at him. Then he put his hand over the bullet wound and healed it. I was freaked out that Max had broken his pact with Isabel and me about not blowing our cover, and I just wanted to get us out of there as quickly as possible. **

_**Keys! Now! **_

**Max broke a ketchup bottle and poured the ketchup over Liz's dress. Then he told her to say that she broke a bottle and spilled ketchup on herself when she fell. He pleaded with her not to tell anyone what he had done, but I knew we were screwed. Our secret was out. I was totally freaking. And to add insult to injury, as I turned toward the door, with Max in tow, I collided with Maria.**

"**Oh great! Your smelly cedar oil is all over me!"**

"**You made me spill it! You bumped me!"**

"**Yeah, fine. Send me a bill. MAX, NOW! Let's go!" **

**I managed to drag Max out of the CrashDown, but the damage had been done. I wasn't letting him off without telling him what I thought of his indiscretion, and Isabel wasn't about to let him off easy either… **

**I can't believe this Max. You know, I finally feel like I have a quasi-normal existence and you go and blow it all with one random act of lunacy. Michael, how did you let my misguided brother do this? And stand downwind, for God's sake, Michael! You smell like a damn urinal!**

_**Hey don't turn this around on me. I'm not the one who thinks he's a superhero. And it's not pee; Maria spilled that stupid oil she carries around all the time on me.**_

**_I always wondered what that was._**

**I'll be honest, at first, I was ready to leave town and find some other place to live… I was so sure that our cover had been totally blown, especially when Sheriff Valenti stopped us and questioned us in Max's jeep. But Isabel didn't want to leave Roswell, and Max… he thought we could just crawl back in our shells like nothing ever happened… So in the end, we didn't leave. But things did change… a lot more than most people ever suspected…**

**Max kept saying that he couldn't just let Liz die, and I understood, but it was my responsibility to keep us safe, and his saving Liz's life put ours in danger. Not just mine, you see… Max's… and Isabel's, too. I was furious about that. But a part of me was glad that he saved her. I'm not sure I can explain that. But what Max did got me to thinking. I still thought he was wrong to put all our lives in jeopardy like that… especially without consulting Isabel and me… but he did it, and that changed everything. Now it wasn't a question anymore of should he do it or not. He did it. Now the question was can we live with it… with a human knowing our secret…**

**Have you ever had one of those dreams where you're being chased or where something's about to blow up or whatever and you want to run, but your legs just won't move, they're like… lead or something? Well, that's kind of how I felt when Max saved Liz. I wanted to run but I couldn't.**

**I think it bothered me more that I was so freaked out about it than it did that Max had done it. I was not supposed to get freaked out; I was supposed to keep us safe… calmly… and efficiently. I didn't even know who I was back then, but some things were programmed into my DNA or something. Efficiency was one of them. But if efficiency is the main goal, then Nasedo was perfect. He was the model of efficiency. If humans got in the way, he just eliminated them. Simple. No emotion involved. We hadn't even met Nasedo yet when Max saved Liz, but I already knew that that kind of thinking was wrong. The problem is, the difference between killing humans and letting one die when you could have saved her didn't seem very big. In fact, it seemed uncomfortably small. It's just that… I had never given it any thought, so it was a kind of awakening for me when it hit me like that. And it wasn't an awakening that I took easily. It was like waking up with cold water splashed in your face… or having no Tabasco to put in your morning coffee.**

**The truth is, I still wasn't ready to accept it, not totally. It seemed easier to say that what happened to Liz was no fault of ours and therefore no responsibility of ours, so what if Max was head over heels in love with her, he didn't have to save her, especially since it endangered all of us as a result. It wasn't the same as killing her, right? But a part of me was saying that it was. And it was driving me crazy. That night I tossed and turned in bed, and my mind kept replaying what had happened in the CrashDown. Over and over, in my dreams, I kept seeing myself drag Max out, and I would look back as we went out the door and see Liz lying there dead and Maria crying her heart out over her body and… and I would feel empty inside… cold… and emotionless. I was the Terminator… no heart, just very, very efficient… I was Nasedo.**

**Since I wasn't getting much quality sleep anyway, I decided to go for a bike ride in the dark and clear my head. I sneaked out of the trailer quietly, being careful not to wake Hank, but he had been drinking earlier, so he was probably in a stupor anyway. Once on the road, I drove all the way through Roswell and then headed towards Las Cruces on Highway 285. I remember I passed Madame Vivian's. I don't put much stock in fortunetellers myself, but I know some people who do, and I could just hear Madame Vivian trying to explain how I was a robot without a heart and then she would hum that Oz song, 'If I Only Had A Heart.' I put some distance between myself and her place as fast as I could. Twenty miles down the road, I spotted a rest stop and decided to pull off and try to relax. It looked dark and relatively deserted, and that suited me just fine. That's what I needed to clear my head.**

**I was lucky. There was nobody else there but me. I noticed that there was only one light burning, and it was way out near the highway. The others all appeared to be burned out, so the place was dark and quiet. I could relax in peace… listen to the crickets chirp… whatever… and get my head in order. **

**Trouble is, nothing ever goes exactly the way you plan it. About forty minutes after I parked my bike and found a nice place to lie down in the grass and watch the stars, an old pickup truck pulls into the rest stop. This thing must have been made by Thomas Edison… or was it Gerald Ford? Well, anyway, whoever made the first car… You know what I mean. The engine was clanking and grinding like it was on its last legs, and if that wasn't bad enough, these two guys get out and start arguing real loud. I tried to cover my ears, but it was annoying, and I could still hear them yelling insults at each other. I wasn't paying too much attention to what the insults were about until I heard one of them say, "If that cheap whore at the restaurant hadn't got in the way and taken your bullet for you, you'd be makin' love t' maggots right now. I've still got three bullets left. And one of them has your name all over it… unless you come up with that money… tonight!"**

**Okay, now they had my attention. I lay there quietly, but I was listening now.**

"**I don't have the money. You need to give me some more time. That's all I'm asking, for a couple of days. I can pull a job. If I'm dead you're not going to get anything." **

"**Except satisfaction," the first man said gruffly, "I might settle for that in your case." **

"**Come on, man… a day! Just gimme a day! I'll pull a job… I'll go back to Roswell… knock off that restaurant we were at. They won't be expectin' it, not after that little waitress got it this morning." **

"**What if you get caught?" **

"**I won't." **

"**How do I know that?" **

"**I'll kill 'em all… I'll leave no witnesses. You happy? There's got to be enough money in that place to cover what I owe you… MORE!" **

**The first man nodded slowly, thinking it over. "Alright… but you take care of 'em good. I don't want no surprises." **

"**No surprises," the second man promised. **

"**Would this count as a surprise?" I asked, stepping out of the shadows behind them.**

**Both men spun around and stared at me. Alright! I know! I said that we shouldn't get involved in human affairs. I said that we shouldn't blow our cover. I said a lot of stuff. But fate or something just wasn't going to let me have it my way.**

"**Buddy, whoever you are, you just bought yourself a one-way ticket to hell," the first man said, pulling out his gun. I raised my hand at the same time as he pulled the trigger, and the bullet exploded in the air. This apparently shook them up. I guess it wasn't what they were expecting. The man with the gun fired off two more shots at me, emptying his chamber, but again the bullets exploded as soon as they left the gun barrel, just like the first one had. Panicked, the other man ran and jumped into the truck. Apparently, he no longer felt that it was necessary to wait for his 'friend.' Thanks to a little electrical interference, though, the truck refused to start. **

"**Who are you?" the man with the gun yelled.**

**I had pulled my T-shirt over my head to disguise myself. It wasn't much, but I had to do what I could do with what I had… and the pants weren't coming off! I guess I did look weird; I definitely felt weird, looking through the arm of a T-shirt with the shirt pulled down over my head, but it protected my identity, you know… It protected US. So I said…**

"**I'm the Avenger."**

**I don't know where that came from actually. It just popped out. I think I thought that I was avenging Liz… and what they had done to us, to Max and Isabel and me, and I just said I'm the Avenger.**

"**Avenger? What… you're like some kind of superhero or something?"**

"**Something, yeah."**

"**Come on, man!" the second guy yelled, "Let's get out of here! This guy is spookin' me! I can't start this thing. It'll start for you."**

"**It's not gonna start," I said confidently, "I've taken care of that."**

"**What did you do to it," the first man asked.**

**Without speaking, I raised my hand, and the truck burst into flames. The guy inside dove out the door, then the truck exploded.**

"**A little of that," I said, lowering my hand back.**

"**Who are you," the first man asked again, looking even more addled than before, "What do you want with us? We ain't done nothin' wrong."**

"**You used bad grammar," I said totally seriously. **

**It's a good thing my face was hidden, because I cringed as soon as I said it. I don't know what made me say it. I wouldn't even try to explain it for all the Tabasco in Roswell. But when he spoke, Mrs. Biederman, our old English teacher, popped into my head, wagging her finger… "_Double negatives are bad grammar, young man. If you want to ever be somebody in this world you must not use bad grammar."_ I shook my head and put her out of my mind. There would be time for shrinks later.**

**"So what… you're like a teacher or something? Bad grammar is a crime now?"**

"**Shooting a waitress is a crime," I replied.**

**The man stared at me, his eyes filling with panic. He knew that I knew. I waited to see what his reaction would be. It didn't take long… He charged at me, picking up a branch from the ground to hit me with. It wasn't smart, but I guess he didn't see any other options at the moment.**

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"**Sheriff Valenti, Roswell Sheriff's Office… How can I help you?" Sheriff Jim Valenti listened for a few moments, his eyebrows arching slightly as he listened… "Okay, I'm on my way. We can handle it from here. Thanks for letting me know."**

**Valenti hung up the phone and grabbed his hat, slapping it onto his head with a simple practiced flip. "Hansen, get your hat and gun. We got a disturbance out at a rest stop on 285 a few miles outside of Roswell."**

"**Is it in our jurisdiction, sir?"**

"**It is now. The State guys usually patrol that area. They got the call, but they have no one nearby at the moment. It's close to us, so I said we'd check it. You ready?"**

"**Yes, sir. Can I ask what kind of disturbance, sir?"**

**Jim smiled. "Maybe we'd better get there and see for ourselves. I'm not sure I trust the report."**

"**You don't trust the state police?"**

"**No… yeah… I mean, not them, whoever reported it to them. We'll probably get there and find out it was all a prank… just some kids havin' a good time making some crank calls. Wouldn't be the first time."**

**Hansen nodded and closed the door behind them. **

**Jim pulled into the rest stop and looked around. The first thing he noticed was the burning truck, then he noticed that a bank of lights on one of the light poles was sparking incessantly, and he saw the two men… dangling from the arm of the light, thirty feet up, by the backs of their pants. He pointed, and Hansen looked up.**

"**I guess there was a disturbance after all, huh, Hansen?"**

**Hansen nodded, his mouth open in disbelief. Jim stopped the car near the pole, and he and Hansen got out.**

"**See if you can still get a license number off of that truck, Hansen. ARE YOU TWO OKAY UP THERE?"**

"**GET US DOWN!" both men yelled at the same time, struggling momentarily then becoming still again, fearful that their belts and pants would not hold if they continued to struggle.**

"**How am I supposed to do that?" Jim yelled back, "How in thunder did you get up there in the first place? Can you climb back down the same way you got up there?"**

"**We didn't climb up," the first man yelled down, "We were lifted up… by some kind of power or force field or somethin'… some guy who called himself 'The Avenger.'"**

"**Here's the license number, Sheriff."**

"**Good work, Hansen. Ever hear of anyone calling themselves 'The Avenger'?"**

**Hansen nodded. "There was an old comic book character by that name, I think. Then there was a movie that starred Sean Connery and Uma Thurmond, came out around 1998. Then there was the Toxic Avenger, the Veggie Avenger, the…"**

"**I get the idea. All right… How are we going to get these guys down from up there?"**

**The previously 'burned out' lights sparked brightly again several times then eerily returned to darkness, eliciting howls from the two men. "Hurry up!" one of the men yelled down, "We're gonna get electrocuted up here!"**

"**Sheriff, look!" Hansen bent down and untied a swatch of cloth from around the bottom of the light pole. "There's something written on it."**

"**Let me see. Hold it up in front of the car lights so I can read it."**

"**Yes, sir."**

**These two planned to rob the CrashDown tonight and kill anyone there. The gun is in the garbage can beside the men's room. Check it for fingerprints. Check their records, too. It's the gun from the CrashDown today.**

**Jim looked up at the two men dangling thirty feet above. Suddenly, he did not feel any hurry to get them down.**

"**I'm going to make a call from my squad car. You guys… just hang in there… up there… whatever… and keep doing whatever it is you're doing."**

"**Sheriff, get us down… NOW! Or I'll sue you and your whole department!" the first man yelled down belligerently.**

"**He's kidding," the other man yelled, "Please get us down!"**

"**Hansen, check the garbage can by the men's room. If you find a gun, be careful not to destroy any fingerprints."**

"**Yes, sir."**

**Jim walked over to his car and picked up the mike. Several minutes later, he walked back over to the light pole. Hansen was standing there with the gun, a 'Saturday Night Special,' wrapped carefully in a handkerchief. He showed it to Jim, and Jim nodded then looked up at the two men hanging from the lights…**

"**There's a fire truck on the way."**

"**How long till it gets here," the first man asked impatiently.**

"**Twenty minutes… maybe. Just hang in there. Oh, and the state police are on their way, too. They think they may know you two. Seems you have some pretty long records… including murder. I'd say they're going to be very happy to get you down."**

**Both men groaned. There really wasn't much else they could do now, in light of their situation.**

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"**He glowed! He glowed like he was atomic or somethin'," the accomplice said breathlessly, as the state patrol officer handcuffed him and shoved him into the patrol car. "And he had this power force field or something. He blew up our truck. And… and he stops bullets… in the air! He stopped Ralph's bullets! He blew 'em up as they came out of the gun!"**

"**Shut up!" the first man said, as the officer stuffed him into the car beside his accomplice. "Don't listen to him. I never saw that gun before. This was all a setup."**

"**Sure," the patrolman said, pushing him into the car and closing the door before turning to Jim…**

"**What did you see, Sheriff? Was there another man out here? Could someone else have done this?"**

**Jim shook his head and blew out a long breath of air. "I didn't see anyone else. When we got here, whoever put them up there was long gone. But someone had to do it. We owe a big thanks to an individual or individuals unknown somewhere out there it would seem."**

"**You don't believe that plutonium man super hero stuff do you, Sheriff?"**

**Jim laughed. "Not a chance. They're trying to set up a case for an insanity plea or something… at their trials."**

**The state police officer nodded. "That's what I figured, too. Good work, Sheriff. I'll see to it you get some kind of commendation for their arrests."**

"**Having them off the street is thanks enough," Jim replied with a grateful grin, "Take real good care of 'em."**

"**You know we'll do that."**

**As the highway patrol car pulled away with the two men in it, Hansen looked at Jim curiously. "You didn't tell him about the note."**

**Jim pulled the swatch of cloth out of his pocket and held it up to his nose, sniffing it curiously. "No, I didn't."**

"**That wasn't an oversight… was it, sir?"**

**Jim shook his head. "This was a piece of somebody's T-shirt once. I would very much like to know whose. We're gonna make a date with the lab guys to have a closer look at it… chemically if need be."**

"**What do you think you'll find, sir?"**

**Jim's eyebrows arched, and he stopped and turned to face Hansen. "Maybe… The Avenger."**

**End of Episode 100**

**tbc…**


	4. Ep 101 Coffee and Tabasco

**Codename: TABASCO**

**(The Awesome Background And Secret Chronicles Of Michael Guerin)**

**Episode 101 – Coffee & Tabasco (The Morning After)**

**Max was sleeping… snoring actually… when I climbed through his window. I don't know how he could be so calm with everything that had happened, but that's Max. Did I say he was asleep? Okay, he was snoring, but he could still hear a pin drop, even in his sleep. He opened his eyes and got up slowly, picking up a baseball bat and a flashlight that he kept near his bed, then he lifted the baseball bat over his head, expecting to smack the hell out of the intruder…**

_**Hold it there! Don't hit me! **_

**Seeing it was me, Max put the bat down. _Argument with Hank?_**

_**Couldn't sleep. **_

**He laid a sleeping bag on the floor for me and climbed back into bed and sat there for a moment before lying back down. I guess he thought I needed a place to sleep… you know, because of Hank and all. When I made it clear that I was not there to join his snore fest and just wanted to talk, he shrugged. _Hey, I was sleeping._ **

**_Amazing._** **He wanted to sleep, and I wanted to talk about our future. I mean, the key to our entire existence was out there, and Max wanted to sleep! Valenti had been hounding Liz all day about what happened in the CrashDown that morning. He showed her a picture of a dead man with a silver handprint on him… like the silver handprint Max had left on her. Kyle got a glimpse of the handprint on Liz, and he told his father, the sheriff. Valenti never saw it himself, but he knew he was onto something; he could smell it. The important thing is, though, that picture proved that there was someone else out there… someone like us… someone who was here in 1959 when that picture was made… someone who would know where we came from, who we were, why we were here, and maybe… just maybe… how to get back to our own planet. And besides, I needed someone to talk to about what had happened tonight, and Max was going to hear me even if I had to prop him up with an ironing board and drop the iron on his head to make him listen. He was the only one I could tell. **

"**Max, listen! I caught the two guys that shot Liz tonight… I hung 'em on a light pole and called the highway patrol."**

"**Good for you." **

**Max lay there for a few moments then rolled over slowly and looked at me…**

"**You did what? What did you just say?"**

"**I said…"**

"**I heard what you said! Michael, are you nuts! Have you lost your mind? You're the one who said we need to stay under the radar, out of sight… and you just invited the feds… and Valenti… into our lives? Why don't you just send them an inscribed invitation! iAliens, at your service. Pick up or delivery anytime! We'll come to you/i**

"**It's not like that, Maxwell."**

"**So what is it like, Michael? Tell me."**

"**I didn't exactly hang around to chit chat with the sheriff when he got there. I left the two corndogs hanging from the pole, and I took off on my bike. By the time Valenti got there, I was long gone."**

**Max was silent for almost a full minute before he spoke again…**

"**You caught them, huh… the guys that shot Liz?"**

"**Yep."**

"**Well, that's good… That's… that's good… as long as no one knows that we're involved."**

"**There's nothing to tie them to us, Max… except you healing Liz, that is."**

"**Don't start, Michael."**

"**I'm not starting. It's done. I'm working on damage control now!"**

"**There was no damage. We just have to be careful in the future."**

"**We've always had to be careful."**

"**Right. So nothing has changed."**

"**Everything has changed, Max!"**

"**How do you mean?"**

**I leaned against the wall wearily. "I enjoyed it, Max. I enjoyed taking those men down… and hanging them up there on that light pole by the seat of their pants. Every time the lights flickered and sparks fell down into their pants they howled… and I enjoyed it. That's not normal, Max."**

**Max grinned. "I don't know… I'm enjoying it just thinking about it. I don't think it's abnormal, Michael. You have normal feelings. Those guys almost killed Liz. Hell, they did kill Liz… if I hadn't intervened and saved her. They're scum. They would have hurt others sooner or later. You did the world a favor. So you really put a good scare into them, huh?"**

"**Yeah… They think there's a superhero out there called The Avenger."**

"**How very original."**

"**Yeah, okay, so it's been used before. I didn't exactly have time to come up with an all-original, Maxwell-sanctioned name. It just popped into my head. I was avenging Liz, so… I said I was the Avenger."**

"**Makes sense."**

"**Yeah. It does."**

"**But it's all over now, Michael. The bad guys are in the sheriff's hands… and you're no superhero. We're just two guys in high school… nothing unusual about us."**

"**Right." **

**I nodded, but inside, I wasn't sure. I had enjoyed a taste… a very small taste… of something deeply satisfying, and it tasted pretty good, a lot better than what I usually tasted living with Hank. It was a feeling I had never experienced before. I wasn't sure anymore what the future held. Maybe with my alien heritage I was born to be some kind of superhero. Somewhere inside, I knew that I was supposed to protect Max and Isabel, so I was already supposed to be a kind of hero in a way. Why not a superhero? Yeah… Why not? I could do that! But not tonight… I would need at least a couple of hours sleep. In the morning, after my morning coffee… Stirred, not shaken, with Tabasco.**

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**The next day, things started to get complicated. Mr. Singer, the geometry teacher, didn't show up; instead, this dame named Topolsky pops in. She pretended to be a substitute teacher, but she sucked at geometry. Liz kept correcting her. Then she said she was really a guidance counselor and was concerned about me. The truth is, she was gathering information about me for the FBI. Liz came to the trailer park to warn me after she found Topolsky gathering my records together.**

**"_You're sure it was my records, it was definitely my records?" _**

**"_Yeah."_**

**"_So she's looking for me." _**

**"_I don't know what's going on, Michael. I just thought I should tell you."_**

**"_Thanks."_**

**"Did you know they caught the guys that shot me, Michael?"**

**"Yeah… actually… I think I heard something about that."**

**"The sheriff told me this morning. He kept asking me if I'd ever heard of someone called 'Avenger.' Best I could gather, the men claimed to have been hung up on a light pole by this Avenger, whoever he is. Could be a last name, I guess… Tom Avenger, Harold Avenger… I've heard stranger names. The sheriff thinks they were just drunk and rambling, though."**

**"Why would he ask YOU about this Avenger person?"**

**"I don't know. It was strange. He acted like it was all a big joke, but it seemed like more than that to me. I don't know what he's up to, Michael, but I thought you should know."**

**"Thanks… again."**

**"You're welcome."**

**"Liz."**

**"Yeah?"**

**"There's something… you ought to know. You trusted me by bringing me this information. I want you to know I appreciate that. And…"**

**"Yes?"**

**"And… I'm going to trust you with something. Can I? You know, trust you?"**

**"Michael, I would never do anything that would betray you guys, if that's what you mean."**

**"Yeah, something like that. What I'm going to tell you… only Max knows right now… I mean, besides me. You can never tell anyone, unless I say it's okay."**

**Liz nodded.**

**"I couldn't sleep last night, so I rode down the highway on my bike and stopped at a rest stop. Those two guys pulled in and started arguing, and I heard them talking about shooting you and that they were going to come back and rob the CrashDown and kill whoever was there so there'd be no witnesses…"**

**Liz gasped, and her hand went over her mouth reflexively. I think she turned pale, too.**

**"You see, Liz, I really didn't have a choice. I couldn't let them do that… and… and besides, I figured I would be avenging you… and us, too. It wasn't planned… the name and all. It just popped out. I know it was stupid. The Avenger… that was me. Yeah! Really stupid, I know."**

**Liz shook her head slowly, as she processed what I had just told her.**

**"It wasn't stupid, Michael. You saved everyone who might have been there in the café… Dad, Mom… Maria… Who knows who else!"**

**Suddenly, Liz stopped and planted a kiss on my cheek. I swear I never saw it coming. I probably turned red. I know I had a hard time finding my voice again. I knew it was just like a friendship kind of thing… gratitude and all… but damn! I understood why Max had to save her.**

**"So, uh, now you know, huh…"**

**Liz nodded thoughtfully. "You know, Michael… that makes you an honest to God superhero. I kind of like it, actually. It's not stupid at all. You've got powers that people here don't have, so you are a superhero. Well, you are if you use your powers for good, like you did last night. I guess that would be putting yourself and Max and Isabel in danger, though; I mean, if you made a habit of it. I know you guys have to be careful and appear to be just like everyone else and all. I understand that."**

**I nodded, but I was thinking about what Liz had said. Hell, I'd been thinking about it ever since last night's little incident. I liked being somebody special, even if nobody else could ever know it was me. It made me somebody. Being a frikkin' hybrid alien had never made me anything but wanted before… and not in a good way. It was a curse. I didn't even know what planet I was from or anything about my people. But being a superhero was something. Yeah, that was something I could do. And it would give some meaning to this freaky DNA I was born with. I still wasn't sure that I would ever do anything like last night again. It did pose a certain amount of risk to us, and I have enough headaches taking care of Max and Isabel now. Who needs to add more steam to a whistling cauldron anyway? I've got enough on my shoulders just trying to find out who we are… not to mention getting us back home someday, wherever that is.** **But I knew one thing for certain now. The idea would always be there… in the back of my mind.**

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**Unfortunately, it seemed that Topolsky wasn't the only FBI person in Roswell these days. An Agent Hart showed up in Sheriff Valenti's office and said he was on assignment and that the sheriff should just go about his business as usual. This pissed Valenti off, being that the guy was in Valenti's office, in Valenti's jurisdiction and all, and wouldn't even say what he wanted.**

_**See, my problem with that is that having a federal agent sitting smack dab in the middle of my station house isn't exactly business as usual. **_

_**My orders are to not leave this chair until I'm relieved. **_

_**Uh-huh. Agent Hart, the FBI has no jurisdiction here. Now I'm going to ask you to please get up and leave. And take your folding chair with you. **_

**Valenti kicked Agent Hart out, but the feds were back before the sun could set, and this time they removed all of Valenti's files from his office and ordered him to forget they ever existed. Yeah! Like that was gonna happen! The problem, for us, was that the picture we wanted to get our hands on was probably in the sheriff's desk and might be found by those yahoo agents going in and out of his office. We had to find it before they did.**

**The only way I could see to get in the sheriff's office without being seen was to go in the window, but it was on the second floor, and a locked grate covered it. iNo problem for a superhero/i I told myself. Climbing up to the second floor ledge was easy. There, I used my powers to open the grate then quickly slid into Valenti's office and started going through his files. Max and Isabel must have arrived at about that time, because they saw the window grate open and knew that I was there. They also saw Valenti pulling into the station.**

_**Max, you get Michael out of there. I'll keep Valenti out of his office as long as I can.**_

**Max slipped in through the window. I found the picture, and I also found a strange key hidden inside the lid of Valenti's thermos, so I took it; but when I held it in my hand, I had a vision that made me stagger backwards. The sheriff must have heard the noise, because we heard him coming down the hall, so we got out quickly, and Max sealed the grate back. Then we jumped down into a garbage dumpster. Even superheroes get dirty sometimes.**

_**Told you it was no big deal, Max!**_

**That night, Liz sat watching the stars, her diary on her lap. Next to her, on her bed, lay the afternoon paper, with a short article on the front page about the arrest of the shooters from the CrashDown Café the night before… and the strange rumor of an unknown avenger.**

**I guess it was a lot to put on her shoulders. She already couldn't tell anyone that Max had saved her life… or about us, who we really are and all… and now she couldn't tell anyone that the guy running around Roswell pretending to be a superhero was actually just an alien.**

**Liz traced a line with one finger through the stars in the sky, as though searching for 'the one,' then she sighed and began to write in her diary…**

_**Ever since I found out about Max and Michael and Isabel, I've been thinking a lot about secrets… that for everyone who has a secret, there's someone else who needs to know what that secret is. How sometimes secrets keep people from feeling like they belong, and sometimes secrets make you feel like you do belong. And now even I, Liz Parker, the smallest of small town girls with the simplest of lives… even I have something to hide. **_

**End of Episode 101**

**tbc…**


	5. Ep 102 Cherry Cola

**Codename: TABASCO**

**(The Awesome Background And Secret Chronicles Of Michael Guerin)**

**Episode 102 **

**Cherry Cola Isn't The Only Thing That's Sweet (Leaving Normal)**

_**He's the guy.**_

_**Max Evans?**_

_**Yeah. He's the one.**_

**The CrashDown had been invaded… not by aliens but by orthodontists attending an orthodontists' convention, and Liz had spent most of the evening smiling on demand. Max stayed with her until the CrashDown closed; then they said their goodbyes and Max walked across the street, where he was confronted by a group of jocks who were lying in wait for him.**

_**What's going on, guys? **_

_**Evans, right? **_

_**Yeah. **_

_**Stay away from her. **_

_**Who?**_

**The answer came from a barrage of fists that left Max bleeding from a cut over his eye and left bruises on other parts of his face. I knew what had happened as soon as I saw him…**

_**I'm going to kill them.**_

_**Michael… No! Michael, listen to me. This is bad. Kyle does something to us. We do something back to him. This kind of thing gets all over school, all over town. Rumors start flying. The whole thing about what I did to Liz starts coming up again. We get exposed.**_

_**That's exactly what I'm saying. We go and we shut up those guys right now.**_

_**Michael, we have to stick together now… more than ever before. We have to go back into our shells. We can't do anything to those guys. I have to stay away from Liz.**_

**That wasn't what I wanted to hear from Max. Okay, I agreed that it had the potential to get out of hand. I just didn't agree about what we should do to avoid the trouble… or maybe I should say, what we should NOT do. Back at school the next day, I "accidentally" bumped one of the jocks on the stairs.**

_**Hey, watch where you're going.**_

_**Dude, I'm sorry.**_

**(Yeah, sorry I didn't do it sooner.) I smiled to myself and walked on. A short time later, I spotted the jock I had touched trying to impress this cheerleader, and he starts scratching inside his shirt and all over as he's talking to her. First thing you know, she's looking at him like he's got fleas… or maybe worse… and her friends are thinking, 'this guy's a dog! Get rid of him! He may be contagious!' I grinned and walked on. Some days, being an alien isn't so sucky. I know, I said I wasn't sure I would ever do anything like back at the rest stop again, but I never said I wouldn't enjoy life. You can't have it and just let them run all over you when you can do something about it. Besides, Max may not agree… okay, he doesn't agree… but the only way to stop these guys is to humble them. If they get away with it, they'll just get bolder and bolder. That puts us in danger. I had to put a stop to it. And I did… without hurting them… so, technically, I did not break my promise to Max, because he only said that we could not hurt them back, not that we couldn't make them itch.**

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**"Miss DeLuca! Come in! I guess you're wondering why Deputy Carson brought you here."**

**"I swear, Sheriff! I didn't know I was breaking any law. Well, maybe I knew it was wrong, just a little bit, kind of, but what was I supposed to do? I couldn't just ignore something like that. I mean, what would you do, Sheriff? Wouldn't you do something? Omigod, I need my cedar oil. Here it is. This is okay, isn't it? I mean, it's not, like, illegal, or something, is it… 'cause if it is…"**

**Jim sat back into his chair, his head spinning. "You're not under arrest, Miss DeLuca. Take a deep breath. Slow down. You're giving me a headache."**

**Maria closed her eyes and waved the vial of cedar oil under her nose.**

**"You know, Miss DeLuca, you would be a whole lot less nervous if you were just calmer."**

**Jim thought for a moment then waved his hand dismissively… "Okay, forget I said that. Look, you're not under arrest."**

**"So this is… not about Hillary Lange?"**

**"No. Is there something I should know about Hillary Lange?"**

**"Nothing! Nothing! And if she tells you there is, don't believe her, Sheriff; she lies…"**

**"Miss DeLuca, please! Sit down and…" Jim ran one hand through his hair. "We'll get to that later… maybe. I brought you here for a different reason. I want to know what you know about… The Avenger."**

**Maria stared at Valenti for several moments before speaking. "The… Avenger?"**

**"Yes."**

**Maria shook her head. "Well, he was some kind of comic book superhero or something… wasn't he? Or was it a Mafia movie… I don't know, I never saw it."**

**Valenti took a deep breath. "It's a guy, Miss DeLuca… a guy who calls himself 'The Avenger…' here in Roswell."**

**"Why would I know?"**

**"That's what I want to find out. I have very good reason to believe that you're his… accomplice."**

**Maria's mouth dropped open, and she fumbled for her cedar oil again. As she fumbled in her purse, she noticed her cell phone and pulled it out… "I need to make a call."**

**Jim sighed and nodded.**

**Maria dialed, then someone answered on the other end.**

**"Liz! Omigod! Liz! I need you! I'm going to jail!"**

_**Maria? Slow down! What happened?**_

**"The sheriff brought me down to the police station; I mean, a deputy did. They think I'm an accomplice. I'm being arrested."**

_**Maria, slow… look, do you have an attorney?**_

**"No… Oh God, do I need one?"**

_**Maria, don't say another word until I get there… and not until you have an attorney present. What did you do? No! Don't tell me! I'll… I'll be right there.**_

**"Liz, would you let Mom know… please?"**

_**Yeah, I'll… I'll tell her. Just relax, Maria. Don't say another thing until we get there. **_

**Jim sighed. "This really isn't necessary, Miss DeLuca. You're not under arrest. I just need some information."**

**"I'm sorry, Sheriff. I can't talk until I have my lawyer."**

**"And… who would that be?"**

**"I don't know… Liz? Can she be my lawyer? She's the smartest person I know."**

**Valenti smiled. "I can't deny that, but I'm afraid she'd have to go to law school and then pass a bar exam to be your attorney. I don't think you have time to wait."**

**Maria moaned. "I'm going to jail! I knew it! I'm going to jail!"**

**"You're not going to jail… unless you've committed a crime. Have you committed a crime?"**

**"But you said I was an accomplice. I'm going to jail, I know it…"**

**Ten minutes after Maria placed her frantic call, the door burst open and Amy DeLuca stormed in, followed closely by Philip Evans and Liz.**

**"Jim, what's the meaning of this? What the hell are you doing arresting my daughter? You'd better have a damn good reason!"**

**Jim jumped and put both hands up in surrender. "Amy! Amy! Calm down! She's not under arrest. I just had her brought in for questioning."**

**"YOU'RE INTERROGATING MY LITTLE GIRL?"**

**"It's not an interrogation, Amy! Calm down! I'm just looking for some information. You're overreacting."**

**Before Jim saw it coming, Amy had whacked him over the head. It was probably fortunate that her purse was of the smaller variety, only a small retro hemp bag, and she had recently removed most of the heavier items from it. "I'M OVERREACTING? I'M OVERREACTING?"**

**"Ow! Amy, please! Just… sit down. I promise I'll explain this. Philip, help me out here!"**

**Philip Evans carefully took Amy by the arm and guided her toward a chair, making a point to stay on the side furthest from her bag. "Let me do the talking, Amy. I'll handle it."**

**"You'd better… for Jim's sake."**

**Philip sighed. "Jim, what's this all about? I've known you for years and years, and you've never been a rash person. If Maria has done something, I'm sure it's nothing that can't be taken care of. She's a good girl. I can't believe she would do something that would get her thrown in jail."**

**"She's not under arrest," Jim repeated wearily, for the umpteenth time. "I just needed to ask her some questions."**

**"She should have been advised that she could have an attorney present, Jim. Did you read her her rights?"**

**"She's not under arrest! No… I didn't read her her rights. I'm not arresting her."**

**"But you are interrogating her. She should have been advised of her rights."**

**"Questioning her… I was just… asking a few questions."**

**Philip Evans turned to Amy… "Maria's not under arrest."**

**"Thank you," a very embattled Jim Valenti mouthed gratefully.**

**Philip Evans looked back at Jim again… "I'll be representing Miss DeLuca. Ask your questions, Sheriff."**

**"Thank you." Jim turned back to Maria… "Miss DeLuca, what do you know about a man who calls himself The Avenger?"**

**"I told you, Sheriff… I don't know him at all. I never heard of him… except for the one in the comic books."**

**Valenti took the swatch of cloth out of his desk drawer and folded it over so that the writing was not visible, then he held it out to Maria…**

**"What does this smell like to you… Uh, Can I call you Maria?"**

**"Yeah… sure… it's my name." Maria sniffed the cloth and raised her eyebrows just a bit.**

**"Cedar oil."**

**Jim nodded. "That's what I thought, too. So I asked myself… Who, in Roswell, uses cedar oil? And then I remembered that you do."**

**"I didn't know it was illegal, Sheriff, honest!"**

**"Cedar oil's not illegal, Sheriff," Liz hastened to point out.**

**"No, it's not illegal," Jim agreed.**

**"Get to the point, Jim," Philip said, putting one hand on Maria's shoulder to show his support for her. "Cedar oil is not a drug. It's not illegal. So what's the problem?"**

**Jim opened his drawer and put the swatch of cloth back. "The problem, Philip, is that that cloth was once a T-shirt. The lab confirmed it. It contained minor traces of common dirt, cherry cola, hamburger grease, Tabasco, perspiration… and a rather large trace of cedar oil. And that swatch of cloth was found at the sight of… an incident I'm investigating."**

**"So what, Jim? Anyone can buy cedar oil. Like you said, it's not illegal. What kind of incident?"**

**"That's not important."**

**"Well, it is if you're accusing my client of some kind of collaboration in a crime. Are you?"**

**Valenti thought for a moment then shook his head. "No."**

**"My client has stated that she knows nothing about this cloth or this person you're looking for. So unless you have anything else, Jim, I suggest you let her go."**

**"She's not under arrest."**

**"Well, she was picked up at school… in a squad car," Liz hastened to point out.**

**"Yeah! You brought her in," Amy added sharply. "She missed class. She wasn't asked if she would mind coming in after school or something."**

**"That may have been an oversight, Amy. I'm sorry about that."**

**Amy narrowed her eyes, and for a moment, Jim prepared himself to be whacked again, but it didn't happen.**

**"Well, okay. But Jim, if you want to ask my daughter any more questions, you come to me. I think we know each other well enough, you and I."**

**Jim nodded.**

**Amy motioned to Maria. "Let's go, baby."**

**Maria looked at Valenti, and he nodded.**

**After they had left, Jim collapsed into his chair, spent. But only moments later, he looked up to see a teenaged girl standing in his door.**

**"Can I help you?"**

**"I want to report a crime."**

**"Well, this is the place. Let's start with your name."**

**"Hillary… Hillary Lange."**

**Jim's eyes opened wide, and a pain shot through his head.**

**"Hold on a minute, uh… Hillary." Jim grabbed his hat and placed it on his head. "HANSEN! Get in here!"**

**Hansen rushed to Jim's side. "Yes, sir!"**

**"Hansen, handle this. I'm going OUT… to patrol."**

**"Yes sir."**

888888888888888

**Hansen carefully wrote the girl's name down on the complaint form… **

**"Lange… L…A…N…G…E."**

**"Right."**

**"Okay, tell me what happened, Miss Lange."**

**"Maria DeLuca stole my class notes… for the exam… right out of my notebook."**

**"Um, I'm not sure that this is a police matter, Miss Lange. Did you tell the school authorities… or the teacher? That's probably where this should be taken care of."**

**"She's a thief, Deputy! She needs to be locked up… arrested! Are you going to do something or aren't you!"**

**"Well, I guess I could make a run over to the school… talk with the proper authorities there. It's not really a police matter."**

**"Oh puh-leez! She's a thief! You're the cops! Lock her up!"**

**At that moment, as luck would have it, there was a knock on the door, and Deputy Hansen looked up to see Maria, her mother Amy, and Liz standing there. Philip Evans had gone home.**

**"I'm sorry, Deputy, but my daughter thinks she left her cedar oil here. Could we just look?"**

**Maria glanced around the office and gasped, as she happened to notice Hillary… slumped in her chair trying very hard to be invisible. Realizing that Maria knew full well what she was up to, Hillary immediately attempted to assume control of the situation…**

**"There she is, Deputy. Lock her up. It's your duty."**

**Deputy Hansen sighed and sat back down. He was beginning to understand why Jim had left in such a hurry.**

**"Okay… Miss DeLuca, will you please tell me if you took exam notes out of Miss Lange's class notebook?"**

**"Yes."**

**"Yes… you took them… or yes you're going to tell me?"**

**"Yes, I have them."**

**"Would you please give them back then?"**

**"No."**

**Deputy Hansen looked surprised. "If they're her notes, you're going to have to give them back. I wouldn't want to have to arrest you for… well, I don't know what for… insubordination or something… to a deputy. Just give the notes back and we'll all be happy."**

**"No."**

**"Maria!" Liz exclaimed.**

**Maria shook her head. "They're not hers, they're Alex's. Hillary stole them. I saw her slip them out of his notebook while he was getting his lunch, so I slipped them out of hers later and was going to give them back to Alex."**

**"Is this true, Miss Lange?"**

**"Of course not! They're my notes. She stole them!"**

**"Can I see them, Miss DeLuca… please?"**

**Maria took the notes out of her bag. "Here. They're Alex's. They're not hers."**

**"They ARE mine!"**

**"Well, I'll tell you what," Hansen said, "I'll ask Alex if these are his… then, if he says they are, we'll have our handwriting expert decide who's telling the truth… and if you are telling the truth, Miss Lange, I'll lock Miss DeLuca up. But if she is telling the truth, I'll lock you up. Does that sound alright to you?"**

**There was a long silence, then Hillary coughed nervously. "You know, Deputy, I was thinking about what you said. This probably isn't a police matter actually. You're such a busy man. I wouldn't want you to have to go to all that trouble on my account. There must be a lot of criminals and bad guys and all that you need to find… or something."**

**"Oh, it's no trouble, Miss Lange."**

**"Locking you up will be his pleasure," Maria interjected, grinning.**

**Hillary danced around nervously like she wasn't sure what to do for a few moments. "I'll just… um… you can keep the notes. I'll… make some more. I think I'm going to be late for class." She turned and rushed out the door, leaving Liz and Amy shaking their heads in disbelief.**

**"I don't think Hillary will be bothering you anymore for a while, Maria," Liz said, laughing, "She looked like she was about to pee herself just now. It's a good thing you saw her take the notes out of Alex's notebook, though. He'll need them to study for the exam. I guess Hillary will have to learn to take her own notes from now own."**

**Cherry Cola isn't the only thing that's sweet. Sometimes justice is… when you can find it. I figure I just have to help it along a little sometimes. I thought Max would enjoy seeing Kyle struggling to get his locker open after I welded it closed with my hand. After all, he did say that he enjoyed thinking about what I did to those guys that shot Liz. But, no. Max thought I was putting us in danger again by welding Kyle's locker closed.**

**You're the one who put us in danger when you saved Liz. You're the one who screwed up, Max.**

_**Yeah, and I'd do it again right now.**_

_**Let's hope we can trust her.**_

_**We can trust her.**_

_**Well, I don't trust anyone these days.**_

**Okay, that wasn't totally true. I had made my peace with Liz already. And I did trust her… to an extent. Let's say I believed in her. I believed that she would not intentionally betray us. But it was up to her to show us that we had not misplaced that trust. When I said that I didn't trust anyone these days, that was not totally untrue. Even Liz, who had proven herself, was still not beyond all suspicion. But I did trust her… more than I was ever going to let Max know. Besides, I had to tell Max that he screwed up, even if I didn't think so anymore. It kept things kind of equal between us. You see, Max was still doing his own thing, too. Liz's Grandma Claudia had a stroke, and Max just had to play the hero for Liz and help her say goodbye. The problem is, Grandma Claudia was lying in a bed in a coma… at the very edge of death.**

_**Honeybear.**_

_**Grandma!**_

**Liz looked up and saw her Grandma standing there, then she looked back at the bed and saw her still lying in the bed, then she looked back at the figure standing in front of her again.**

**Grandma Claudia smiled and glanced at Max.**

_**Let me guess… Max. **_

**She made Liz promise to follow her heart… and to trust it, then the monitor flatlined. But she was already gone before that. Max just held time there for a few moments so they could say their goodbyes. We all have to follow our hearts in the end, Max with Liz, Liz with Max, and me with… my search for justice… and protecting them. _The tough thing about following your heart is what people forget to mention, that sometimes your heart takes you to places you shouldn't be, places that are as scary as they are exciting and as dangerous as they are alluring, and sometimes your heart takes you to places that can never lead to a happy ending. And that's not even the difficult part. The difficult part is when you follow your heart, you leave normal, you go into the unknown. And once you do, you can never go back._**

**End of Episode 102**

**tbc…**


	6. Ep 103 Valenti

Codename: TABASCO 

(The Awesome Background And Secret Chronicles Of Michael Guerin)

Author's Note: On the TV series, Roswell "Monsters" was episode 102 and "Leaving Normal" was episode 103. I reversed them here.

**Episode 103 **

**The Valenti Factor (Monsters)**

**When you go with your heart all kinds of things can happen. We agreed a long time ago to never let our hearts lead us and to never leave normal… or whatever normal was to us back then… but to live our lives in self-imposed emotional isolation. The problem with emotional isolation is it's only appropriate for, well… monsters… freaks of nature… genies in a bottle. To some people, that was what we were… monsters. At least, we were sure that's what people would see us as… if they knew the truth about us. So we had placed ourselves in this bottle that we looked out at the world from. But what we did not know at the time was that leaving the state that we called "normal," leaving the genie's bottle, would actually be our first step toward proving that we were not monsters at all but were actually very, very human, at least in an emotional sense.**

**Liz stole Max's heart long before he ever healed her that day in the CrashDown, but it was Maria who reached out to us… in her own way… for no reason other than friendship, and already knowing what we were. She had pretty much forced Liz to tell her what really happened after that day at the CrashDown, and then she had freaked out when Liz told her. But like most things Maria, it just took a little time for her to adjust.**

**And as unlikely as it seems, it was Isabel who reached back… Okay, if you don't count our lovesick resident "alien" Romeo over there.**

**Maria was having a bad day at the CrashDown and Agnes refused to work. For Agnes, showing up for work was work. The rest of the day she spent taking cigarette breaks. This particular day, though, Liz was at the hospital with her Grandma Claudia and Maria was taking care of the café by herself… I mean with Agnes… Okay, by herself. And when Agnes announced, between puffs from her cigarette, that the customers would get their food when they got their food, Maria kind of freaked. Then Isabel came along, and alien-human relations took a big leap.**

**_Okay, Isabel, I am going to hate myself for this, but I need to ask you for a favor that will leave me forever indebted to you. I am so dead here. Will you help me wait tables_**

**_You're kidding, right_**

**_Please. _**

**_To put this as succinctly as possible, I'm not really a service oriented person._**

**_Wait! Wait! Wait! Liz's grandmother is in the hospital, okay? And if she doesn't think that I can do this, it's just going to give her one more thing to worry about. Please! Look, it's not for me, it's for Liz._**

**_Well, since you put it that way… No._**

**So that was that, right? Yeah, right! If you think that, you really don't know Maria! By the way, Isabel, you looked really cute in that little alien waitress costume. OW! Hey! Ouch! Well, it's true, you did! Anyway, after that, Isabel suggested to Max that he go to Liz… because of her Grandmother being in the hospital and all. **

**_You're the one who's always telling me I have to stay away from her. What are you saying, Iz?_**

**_I'm just saying that, you know, if something like this happened to grandma or grandpa, I wouldn't want to be kept away from who I really needed._**

**And that was it. That was the real start of alien/human relations, dysfunctional as they were in the beginning… if you don't count our star-struck Romeo and Juliet.**

**The next day, Maria was driving down the road in her car, singing "Genie in a Bottle" by Christina Aguilera --believe it or not-- when she noticed Isabel's car broken down on the side of the road. It was being towed… again… and as some perverted quirk of fate would have it, the tow truck had this fake spaceship on the back of it. That made Maria smile, and she pulled over and leaned out the window…**

**_Going home, Isabel?_**

**Isabel was not amused, and the look on her face let Maria know it.**

**_Um, I mean… um… do you need a ride?_ **

**Isabel stared at Maria for a moment and then got into the car. Right away, she started to "fix" some little flaws in Maria's car… stuff like the air conditioning and the stereo… as a friend, you know.**

**Did I say Maria freaks out easily? Uh, USED TO freak out easily I mean? Well, she did. Then, out of the blue, Maria asked Isabel if her mom knew that she and Max were aliens. "Different," I think, was the word she used.**

**_You mean horrible disgusting creatures from outer space who sneak into your room at night and perform excruciating experiments, Maria?_**

**Maria turned and stared at Isabel for a moment, and when she looked back at the road, there was a car right in front of her. She slammed on the brakes but it was too late. Did I mention quirks of fate? Well, it was Sheriff Valenti's car that she rear ended, and he got out and sauntered back to where Maria was slouching down in her seat trying to cover her face with her hand…**

**_Oh my God! Oh my God!_**

**Valenti looked at Maria then at Isabel…**

_**Ladies.**_

**"You're not going to take me in again, are you, Sheriff?"**

**Valenti took a deep breath, and Amy must have still been fresh in his mind, because he rubbed his head without realizing he was doing it.**

**"I don't think that will be necessary. You do have a driver's license, don't you? Please say you do!"**

**"Oh, yes! That… That is a definite… uh… yes! Definitely!"**

**"Can I see it… please?"**

**Maria dug in her purse and produced her driver's license, registration, and insurance card. Sheriff Valenti looked at them and handed them back with a smile.**

**"It's only a minor ding. I'll just write it up when I get back to the office. I'll need you to drop by my office sometime, though… soon… and sign some insurance papers for me. The insurance should take care of it. Oh! And, uh… after school will be just fine."**

**"Yes, sir… Sheriff."**

**Valenti didn't push things then; but later, he showed up at the CrashDown and ordered a Coke then whispered to Maria that he was there to protect her.**

**We knew what he was fishing for… something so he could lock us up as monsters… little green aliens… or whatever. And frankly, we were worried that Maria wouldn't be able to take the heat. I mean, she did have a reputation, back then, for being, uh… um… uh… a nice girl whose naïve… innocence… might be taken advantage of… by a determined person like Valenti… to get information, you know? Everybody in town knew that Valenti's father had tried all his life to prove the existence of aliens, and we figured the apple didn't fall very far from the tree, you know what I mean?**

**Maria did go to see Valenti the next morning, and she stood her ground with him. She didn't rat us out, and I was proud of her. That afternoon, after school, we all got together, and Liz and Maria were playing around. Somehow, Maria saw this paper in the principal's office and found out that I had a birthday a few days before, and she and Liz found out that Hank didn't get me anything. Well, that was no big news flash; he never got me anything. He never even acknowledged my birthdays. Most of the time, I even forgot that I had a birthday. It wasn't really a "birthday" anyway, you know what I mean? More like a hatched day. Who cared. Not me. But social services put down the day I was found as my birthday, so that was it, officially. Like I said, Hank could have cared less. But Liz and Maria had a little cake and some candles on it in the back of the CrashDown when I got there. Then they insisted on giving me gifts. They hadn't had time to buy anything, so it was just in fun stuff, you know. Liz gave me a pair of CrashDown antennas to wear on my head. As if! And Maria gave me a CrashDown apron, the one she was wearing. I wanted to say, "No way," you know, but the truth is, all I could feel was a big lump in my throat. It wasn't really what they were giving me… that was all just in fun stuff, you know. It was just that they… well, they cared enough to… they thought about… Anyway…**

**I think I swallowed some salt water while I was swimming. Gets stuck in my throat sometimes, you know.**

**After I left the CrashDown, I stuffed the antennas into my pocket and looked at the apron. Maria had been wearing that apron. I don't know why, but I decided to stick it inside my shirt for safe keeping. Well, hey, it wouldn't fit in my pocket, and I wasn't going to wear it. And besides… it felt kind of… right… next to my heart. Nobody else ever cared before enough to give me anything.**

**I decided to go for a ride and clear my head… sort out my thoughts and all, so I rode down to the mall for a while then headed out toward the desert to watch the sunset and be alone. I had a hard time handling feelings back then. I wasn't… accustomed to it. With Hank, you couldn't have feelings. You had to bottle them up. If you didn't, you'd do something you regretted.**

**As I was driving into the desert on my motorbike I see this car off the side of the road, and I wondered about it. Someone might be broke down or somethin' out there. Of course, I couldn't rescue anyone on a bike. But I guessed if I had to I could go get help for them, you know? So I pulled my bike off the road and looked around. I hadn't seen anyone walking on the road. I didn't see anyone off the road either, so I was just about to go when suddenly I hear noises coming from the other side of a big sand dune about a hundred feet away, so I went to check it out. I parked my bike and climbed up the sand dune. It sounded like someone getting hit. I know the sound a fist hitting someone makes…**

**Anyway, when I got to the top of the dune, I saw this guy beating up on some girl. It looked like he was trying to get his way with her, you know, and she was resisting. He had ripped off most of her clothes and was punching her in the face. I let him have it with a blast that knocked him clean over the other side of the next dune. Then, realizing what I had done, I tried to cover my face so the girl couldn't identify me. I should have sensed danger, but I let my emotions cloud my senses. As I covered my face, I got tackled from behind… hard… and knocked over the dune. I didn't stay down, though. I rolled back on my feet, and the two guys that tackled me got a big surprise they never expected. They got thrown over the dune with their friend. When they got up, they all took off running and I heard their car leave in a hurry. Then I looked at the girl again. She was shaking and scared.**

**"Are you okay? Geez, I'm sorry. That was stupid. Of course you're not okay. Are you hurt? Bad I mean?"**

**The girl sniffed and tried to wipe the sand and dirt off her face. Then she realized that she was exposed and tried to cover herself up, but her clothes were ripped too badly. I took off my shirt and put it around her…**

**"Do you know those guys?"**

**"They're from a school in Tucson… Arizona. They're in Roswell for the game."**

**"The football game… at the high school?"**

**"Yeah."**

**"Jocks?"**

**"I'm not sure. Maybe. Or they may just be in town to see the game. They're from Tucson, though."**

**I thought about it for a moment then nodded. "I don't want to leave you here by yourself, and I don't have a cell phone on me."**

**"I had a cell phone. One of them took it away from me; he threw it over that way somewhere."**

**"I'll find it."**

**I hurried up to the top of the dune and looked around. I guess I was lucky, because I spotted a glint of light in the sand a distance away, and it was her cell phone. I hurried back to her with it.**

**"I want you to call the sheriff's office. I happen to know the number by heart. Don't ask. Tell him you're six miles east of the city limits on the side of the road. Tell him what happened. But you have to promise me you won't tell him anything about me. You can't give him any description of me… at least not the right one. My life… other lives… depend on it. Please."**

**She nodded, seeming to understand. I looked at her face, trying to gauge it… to get any feel at all for what she might do. Would she tell him? I couldn't be sure, but I had a gut feeling that she wouldn't. I know, a gut feeling is not much to go on, but it's all I had. I wouldn't tell Max or Isabel. I can't stand smug "I told you so" looks, and Isabel is a force to reckon with when she's furious.**

**I dialed the number and handed the phone to the girl, then someone picked up on the other end.**

**"Sheriff's office. Valenti speaking."**

**"Hello, Sheriff? My name is Corinne…"**

**I stayed with her until I saw a dust trail coming a few miles down the road. Then I used my powers to remove the tire tracks my bike had made and I nodded toward the oncoming car.**

**"He'll be here in a couple of minutes. I have to go."**

**"Thanks. I won't tell him about you, I promise."**

**I nodded, hoping that she meant it. Then I took off on my bike, erasing my tracks behind me as I went. On the road, I quickly changed the color of my bike with my powers and slipped my helmet on over my head. Moments later, I passed the sheriff heading toward where Corinne was waiting. I knew she would be okay… and several guys were about to get busted by the long arm of the law. Valenti could be a pain in the ass, but you had to give him his due… He took a big bite out of crime in Roswell. He kept things pretty calm, for the most part. I had no doubt that those three guys would be sitting in his jail cell very soon.**

**888888888888888**

**Jim Valenti closed his book and helped Corinne into his patrol car.**

**"You can't describe the person who saved you… anything at all?"**

**"I'm sorry, Sheriff. I was blinded. Those guys rubbed my face in the dirt, and my eyes were blurry… all I could see was a shadowy figure. He saved my life, though, and chased them off. I know that. He's a hero."**

**"So it was a guy then… who saved you."**

**"Yes… I think… maybe… or it could have been a girl. It was one or the other."**

**Valenti sighed and put his car into gear then pulled onto the road and headed back toward town. An hour later, he pulled up at the station again, after dropping Corinne off at the hospital. Deputy Hansen was there to meet him as he pulled up.**

**"I heard, Sheriff. Is she okay?"**

**"She'll be okay. Just took some hard punches to the face… probably a broken nose. Looked like maybe a fractured cheekbone, too. And her eyes got dirt in them. Clothes were ripped off of her. Three guys… sewer slime… one was battering her and the other two were apparently watching. She had a man's shirt wrapped around her when I got there, but she couldn't remember where she got it. I'm heading over to the high school. They'll be able to give me a starting place where I might be able look for our three new jail residents."**

**"Is this the shirt, Sheriff," Hansen asked, reaching into the car and removing a man's shirt from the back seat.**

**"Yeah. When the medics took her out of the car they wrapped a light blanket around her and tossed the shirt back into my car. They thought it was one of mine. I looked at it though. It's a common shirt… nothing unusual. Thousands of them out there. Could belong to anyone."**

**Hansen handed the shirt back to Valenti, and Valenti looked it over again and sighed. Then he noticed a string hanging down, and he tugged on it gently.**

**"Well, hello! What have we here?"**

**Something peeled away from the inside of the shirt and fell into Valenti's hands.**

**"What is it, Sheriff?"**

**Jim smiled, holding up an apron and staring at the alien motif emblazoned on it…**

**"A clue, Hansen. I'd call it a clue. After I throw three pieces of sewer scum into my jail, I'm going to make a little courtesy call at the CrashDown. Somebody there is missing something. Hop in the car. I've got a sudden desire to go huntin'."**

**"Hunting?"**

**"For sewer rats."**

**Hansen nodded and climbed in on the passenger side of Valenti's car.**

**888888888888888**

**The administrator at Roswell High laid a list of names down on the counter, and Jim looked it over carefully…**

**"Is this all the students from Tucson who are here for the game?"**

**"All the ones who came on the bus, Sheriff."**

**"Could they have come on their own… not on the bus?"**

**The administrator nodded. "Sure. If they did, there's still a possibility that we can find out who they are, though. There's a roster of students attending the game. The athletic department has it. Everyone has to get a ticket or a student ID pass to get into the game."**

**"You wouldn't have pictures of any of these students would you?"**

**"No, sorry. Oh! You know what, though! I've got a Tucson High yearbook. It has pictures of all the students, whether they came for the game or not."**

**"Beautiful! Can I borrow it? I promise I'll bring it back."**

**"Sure. Take your time, Sheriff."**

**Jim took the book and handed it to Hansen. "We're going over to the hospital… to see if our girl can ID her attackers."**

**888888888888888**

**Corinne turned the pages, shaking her head slowly after each one… "No… No… that doesn't look like any of them. She turned the page again and her breath caught in her throat… "Oh!" She pointed a shaking finger at the picture of a burly-looking boy with a smug smile, as her eyes welled up with tears… "This one… and right below him… he's one of them, too. And the one beside him is the other one."**

**Jim nodded and looked at the names. "Same class all three. Seniors. Looks like they won't be graduating with their class. Too bad. Now I just have to find out where they're staying. You did fine, Corinne… real fine!"**

**Back in the car, Jim made a few quick calls and got the name and room number of the motel where the three were staying, then he shook his head sadly… "What makes three guys, seniors, with their whole lives ahead of them throw it all away and screw their lives up like this?"**

**Hansen shrugged. "Just because someone made it as far as they did doesn't mean they got there through charitable works. They sound like the type who would pull butterflies' wings off and torture puppies and kittens when they were young. They've just moved up to people now… people who can't defend themselves at least."**

**Jim looked over at Hansen and nodded. "Their type are always cowards when you get right down to it. They want to hurt others, not get hurt. They think the world owes them everything and that they should get whatever they want handed to them on a silver platter. Well, they've got a surprise coming."**

**Jim pulled his squad car into the motel's parking lot and looked for the room number. "There it is. Back me up, Hansen."**

**"You got it, Sheriff."**

**Jim walked up to the door and knocked on it. A moment later, it opened slightly, and someone looked out. Then it slammed back quickly, but Jim was quicker, kicking the door open before it could be relocked.**

**"SHERIFF'S OFFICE! YOU'RE UNDER ARREST! GET DOWN ON THE FLOOR! NOW!"**

**Jim had his service revolver drawn, and the guy in front of him dropped to the floor, his hands over his head.**

**"Down all the way… on the floor… spread eagle. Where are the other two?"**

**"I'm the only one here. There's nobody else. I haven't done anything. What do you want with me?"**

**"You're under arrest for kidnapping, attempted rape, assault and battery… Any of this jog your memory?"**

**At that moment, Hansen came in through the back entrance, his gun drawn and two wide-eyed young men walking in front of him, their hands over their heads.**

**"Caught these two trying to make a run for it, Sheriff."**

**"Good work, Hansen." Jim looked at the guy on the floor… "Are these the two who aren't staying here with you?"**

**"I want my lawyer."**

**"You'll get one. You two, get down on the floor, too. Spread eagle, beside your friend…**

**You have the right to…"**

**Jim rattled off their rights then handcuffed their hands behind their backs, as they grimaced…**

**"You're hurting me, Sheriff. That's too tight," the first one complained.**

**"Good," Jim muttered, putting a finger under the cuffs to test the tightness. "Any looser and you wouldn't be cuffed. Buck up and bear it. Life is going to get a lot harder for you three in the near future. You might as well get used to it."**

**Hansen smiled.**

**"I didn't touch her," one of the two guys Hansen had caught said. "I was just…"**

**Jim nodded. "Watching? Standing guard? It's called aiding and abetting… to kidnapping, attempted rape, and assault and battery."**

**"You're wasting your time with us," the first guy said bitterly. "The one you should be arresting is that monster that attacked us. He probably attacked the girl, too. You should be out there looking for him… protecting the citizens from things like that."**

**"Yeah, he's not human," the second guy agreed. "He was glowing all over, and he threw us over a hundred feet… without even touching us. No human can do that. That's who you should be tracking down, Sheriff… instead of bothering some nice guys just minding their own business. You should go find that monster."**

**Jim took a deep breath and seemed to think about what the two had just said for an unusual amount of time before answering seriously…**

**"There are different kinds of monsters in this world… There's your kind… the kind I'm sworn to defend our innocent citizens from… and there's… other kinds. I'm starting to have a lot of respect for one of those other kinds… an awful lot of respect. Help me get 'em into the car, Hansen. We'll drop 'em off in a cell then head over to the café… you know the one. Do you have any Tylenol on you?"**

**"No, sir. Why?"**

**"Because I'm going to be getting a headache."**

**End of Episode 103**

**tbc…**


	7. Ep 104 Trust

**Codename: TABASCO**

(The Awesome Background And Secret Chronicles Of Michael Guerin)

**Episode 104**

**Trust But Verify (Missing)**

Sometimes our hearts take us to places that put us in danger. But it was done, and what's done is done. Once you follow your heart you go into the unknown and you can never go back. So now we had to deal with it. That was where I was now… in the dealing with it mode. Max had done it… I had done it… and Isabel --well, she used her powers "recreationally," so even she had done it. For genies in a bottle, we were not very good at staying in the bottle. But none of us would admit that he… or she… was the one putting us in danger. It was always the other one. In the end, we were more alike than we wanted to admit. And as surprising as it was, Topolsky --agent Topolsky-- actually pegged Isabel. Topolsky, who claimed to be a teacher but wasn't. Topolsky, who claimed to be a guidance counselor but wasn't. Topolsky, the FBI agent, actually saw through Isabel's tough outer façade… and saw a glimmer of the real inner Isabel…

_How well do you think you know yourself, Isabel?_

_Very well._

_Then you might be a little surprised by your computer profile. Now, you said in our first meeting that you wanted to be a supermodel._

_You work with what you're given._

_That's quite a jet set career for someone who puts family first, craves stability and security, and leans towards care giving fields._

_Well, I never trusted computers._

_Think about who you are, Isabel, and what's important in your life; and don't forget, there's nothing wrong with just wanting to be normal._

For someone who wasn't a real guidance counselor, Topolsky sort of had Max's number, too, when she asked the class which person they thought they were most like in a picture she had. Max said he was the guy behind the tree, and Topolsky jumped on it…

_That's interesting. That's a hard place to be. I've been behind the tree myself. In college, I barely left my dorm for three years. Then I realized that I had gotten myself into this situation where I wasn't really living. I was just going through the motions, and it was really, really risky to change… to get out there in the world._

_But it was worth it._

_Yes, it was._

_Coming out from behind the tree, huh?_

_Exactly. You start small. You say, "Today I'm going to do one thing to get out there." Nothing big. Just one thing._

Well, I can't say that Max had not already done something big. He healed Liz. That was monumental where we were concerned. But Topolsky was basically telling him to come out of the genie's bottle altogether and live his life… not to be afraid to have a life. If she had known everything she thought she knew about us, I wonder if she would have felt the same way. But the fact is, Max took her advice. He started to get closer to Liz and stopped talking about us needing to keep our distance so much. And that led to a potentially disastrous situation for the three of us… and maybe for Liz, too…

_Liz, what's wrong? _

My journal's missing.

And?

Maria, I wrote everything in that journal.

Everything?

Things about Max.

Personal things about Max?

Everything.

What… like, where he's from, what he is… I mean, what he isn't?

I mean… everything.

Liz had written all about Max in her diary. I trusted her motives, but I had to make her see that there could be dire consequences… for us. That's why I pocketed her diary. I only wanted to make her see that what she was doing was unwise, but it started to get out of hand. They suspected everybody… Alex… Liz even suspected her own mom for a while. Max was sure it was Kyle who had taken it. All of them had had the opportunity. Then Topolsky found out that Liz's diary was missing, and before we knew it the FBI was looking for it, too… not for our benefit, I assure you. The agents even searched Kyle's bedroom while he was out. I intended to give it back sooner, but well, have you ever heard the expression, "When it rains it pours?"

The door of the CrashDown opened, and Liz and Maria, alone together in the café since some customers had just left, both turned to look. The figure standing in the door seemed to block out all the light. It was imposing. The man lingered there for a moment… looking… seeming to choose his victim, kind of like the scene in "High Noon," and time seemed to stop. Liz and Maria held their breath.

"Ladies."

"Sheriff. H-Have a seat. I'll… I'll be over in a minute."

"I'm not eating, thank you."

"Oh?" Liz replied hoarsely, trying to moisten her rapidly drying throat. "What… uh, what can we do for you then?"

Valenti straddled a chair as though he intended to stay for a while. "I've been pondering this sort of enigma for some time… you know… how things can get lost in places where you wouldn't ever think… and where you wouldn't think someone had been or should've been… and what it means when you sort it all out. Trying to make sense out of a clue that someone dropped in my lap… like a sort of open book, but I had to interpret it."

Liz stopped breathing and a silent gasp caught in her throat. _He's got it! Sheriff Valenti has my diary. Kyle gave it to him. He knows everything. Oh God!_

"Sheriff, you… you can't jump to any conclusions… whatever it might look like on the surface. We all have fantasies and… and we let ourselves… we let our imaginations… fly off to places where, you know, we could never really go… ourselves. I mean, a girl's private thoughts can be just fantasies, not, like, real life, and… Where did you, uh, where did you find it, Sheriff?"

"Well, now, that's the most interesting thing, Liz."

Valenti pulled out the alien-motif apron and held it up, looking first at Liz then at Maria with an intenseness that seemed as though it might melt steel. Liz actually looked relieved, but it didn't take a detective to see that Maria was acting guilty, even though she had done nothing at all wrong. She took one look at the apron and staggered, fumbling for her cedar oil. Both Maria and Liz knew that the apron was Maria's… and both of them knew that there was no point denying it. They also knew who had had it last.

"You found Maria's missing apron! Where did you find it, Sheriff?"

"In the desert… six miles east of Roswell… on a half naked girl."

Maria's eyes grew wide, and her jaw dropped. _I'll kill him._

Valenti smiled, but it was the smile of a cat holding onto a mouse's tail.

"You see, I was looking in all the wrong directions. I thought one of you was helping Max or Michael, and all along it was the two of you."

"Excuse me?"

It's the old Clark Kent disguise… Or what was that movie where Zorro pretended to be gay? Zorro, the Gay Blade! Yeah, that's it. The one person no one would expect. Nobody would ever expect two girls. What I haven't figured out yet is how you do it… or why."

Liz closed her eyes. "I… I… Ay! Ay! Ay!"

Valenti smiled. "How am I doing so far?"

"Like a rocket that's spinning out of control. I don't have a clue what you're talking about, Sheriff."

"Definitely a crashed spaceship… ROCKET! Crashed rocket, definitely," Maria said, agreeing with Liz.

"Mmm, well, I still haven't put all the clues together. I guess I could be wrong, but it all makes sense, except for how you did it."

"Sheriff," Liz groaned, "What does any of this have to do with Maria's missing apron?"

"You really don't know, do you?"

Valenti could come up with some pretty wild theories, but he was a certifiable master of reading faces and behaviors. Liz and Maria's behavior was telling him that they really did not know what he was talking about. But it also said -loud and clear- that they were hiding something. It frustrated Valenti. He had hoped that even if his far-out theory did prove to be wrong it would addle Liz or Maria one into saying something that would incriminate either Max or Michael, whom he still thought were really the most likely suspects. But everything in Liz and Maria's faces was saying that they were as clueless as he was.

"Okay, back to theory number one then. I know that somehow, someway, Maria was at the scene of two crimes… or something that she is associated with was at each of those scenes…"

Maria gasped. "I haven't done anything, Sheriff. I'm innocent. I need to call Mom."

"NO! I mean…

Wait… just for a minute. I promise I'll leave. I'm just trying to figure out a mystery that's been confounding me for a while now."

Valenti stood up and walked to the door. He reached for the doorknob then turned and looked at Maria… then again at Liz. "I know you know something… one of you does, maybe both of you. I'm not saying either of you has committed any crimes. I'm… I'm kind of leaning in a different direction. Talk to Max and Michael. Tell them they can trust me. Tell them… Well, just tell them that."

Valenti put his hat back on his head and quickly exited the café, leaving Liz and Maria looking at each other with shocked and puzzled expressions on their faces.

888888888888888

Did I say that when it rains it pours? Valenti may still have been puzzled over who was responsible for the recent mysteries, but Maria was not…

"I trusted you! I trusted you! I had a birthday party for you… Okay, well, such as it was, but it WAS a party. And you take my gift and go on a CRIME SPREE! And… and the sheriff finds it on a naked… bar room floozy! I was starting to believe in you, Michael. Now… I don't even know who you are anymore. Maybe all this is normal on your planet, whatever that is… but we don't do things like that here. God, why do I care? It probably is normal where you come from. I'll get over it. It's none of my business. It's not like I care or anything… 'Cause I don't, you know."

I tried to calm Maria down, but she was really mad. I let her get it all out before trying to explain.

"It's not what you think, Maria. That girl… three guys were trying to rape her. I took care of them and gave her my shirt to cover herself up with, because they tore her clothes. Then I helped her call Valenti. You don't think I could just stay there and tell the sheriff it was me that did it, do you?"

"Why not? If you really saved her, I mean, saving someone's not a crime."

"But humans don't lift people up and throw them a hundred feet through the air… with special powers."

"Oh."

"I'm sorry, Maria. I didn't know Sheriff Valenti was going to come after you."

"How did he find my apron, Michael? You said you gave her your shirt, not my apron…"

"I, uh, I had to put the apron somewhere, so I put it inside my shirt. With everything that was happening, I guess I forgot it was there, and it must have stuck to the inside of my shirt when I gave it to her."

Maria smiled. "You put it next to your heart?"

"It was just… the easiest place to carry it… you know."

"Of course. I knew that. That's what I meant."

"Yeah."

"Michael, just what are you up to?"

"What do you mean?"

"First, Valenti finds your T-shirt…"

"A little piece of it."

"Okay, a little piece of your T-shirt… at the scene of a crime, and it had cedar oil on it… because earlier you had bumped into me and I had spilled it on you. Then he finds the apron that I gave you… at the scene of another crime. It's a lot of coincidences. And there's that stuff people are saying about some guy the paper is calling 'the Avenger.' It's you, isn't it?"

I shrugged. The truth is, I didn't know what to say.

"Omigod, it is you."

"So sue me."

"Michael's trying to help people, Maria," Liz said, stepping in for me. "He's not looking for trouble, he just decided to do something about it when he sees trouble happening from now on instead of burying his head in the sand and pretending he doesn't see it. He's taking chances… chances that could put his life in danger… in order to do what's right. But he has to keep this all secret. No one can know."

"You knew about this, Liz?"

"Yeah… well… kind of. Yeah, I guess so."

"And you didn't tell me? Some friend you are."

Liz looked at Maria with sad eyes. "Do you forgive me?"

"No… Yeah… Oh, I don't know. Don't look at me like that! All right! All right! I forgive you already."

"Hugs?"

Girls! Who can understand 'em? Can you see me giving Max the pouty look and asking for hugs? He'd die laughing… right after he kicked my ass all the way back to our home planet. But girls, see, they do stuff like that. I remember thinking, maybe it's an Earth… girl… thing. Then I thought, Naw… it's probably just a girl thing… Someday, if I ever get back to my planet, I've got to check that out. And I was right. It's a girl thing, even here on Antar.

All things considered, I thought enough had happened already since I took Liz's diary, so the next day, I gave it back to her…

_I had to know the risk… so I had to know what your journal said. _

You took it?

I never meant for things to get out of control… It's nice to know we have at least one friend in this town.

Does Max know that you…

No… and you know what would be really great? If you didn't tell him.

But why didn't you just destroy this, Michael… because anyone that found this would know all about you.

No… they'd know all about you, Liz. Thank you for giving me one more reason to envy Max Evans.

Over the next few days, I spent a lot of time thinking… about our lives before Max saved Liz and all this started… how I used to wish that something would break the routine and get me out of this crazy little town and away from my nowhere life with Hank, hopefully back to our own people, only I had no idea who those people were or where to find them… or even what planet they were on. Stepping out of the bottle opened up our worlds unimaginably, but it also confirmed what I already knew… that the bigger your world gets, the bigger your problems get, too. Now I had a choice. To continue to put us in danger… without Isabel's knowing… or to climb back in the bottle and recork it… try to regain the past. I wondered if that was possible… I wondered if it was what I really wanted.

**End of Episode 104**

**tbc…**


	8. Ep 105 Here I Come To Save The Day

**Codename: TABASCO**

(The Awesome Background And Secret Chronicles Of Michael Guerin)

**Episode 105**

**Here I Come To Save The Day (285 South)**

Ihad almost decided to forget about this super hero thing and go back to being whatever it was I really was… or maybe whatever it was that Max and Isabel wanted me to be. The truth is, I wasn't really that keen on running around saving people anyway. I mean, it was fun to fry those guys' sorry asses… the ones that shot Liz. And the ones that were beatin' up on that girl, they deserved what they got, too; so, yeah, I kind of did enjoy that, I admit it. But it's not like I want to dress up in pantyhose and a cape and run around like some frikkin' Captain Marvel, singing out, "Here I come to save the day! Hi yo, Silver… Away!" Wait… that was the Lone Ranger. Well, the "Hi yo, Silver… Away!" part was the Lone Ranger. Somebody else said the first part. Who was it? Wait a minute… I think… Oh, Geez Louise! See what I mean? Yeah, like I really want to be known as Roswell's alien Mighty Mouse! _Here I come to save the day… Check out these tights, I think I'm gay._

The Lone Ranger was okay… he was cool. But I don't want to be him either. I wouldn't mind being kind of like him, maybe… a little bit… in some ways. He was sure of himself… and strong. And he always saved the day. Hank wouldn't have messed with The Lone Ranger… or Zorro either. He would've got a big "Z" carved into his drunken ass if he'd messed with the Z-Man. If I was going to be a real super hero, I guess I'd want to be like Zorro or the Lone Ranger. But they weren't really SUPER heroes, they were just heroes. They didn't have super powers. Did you ever notice that all the super heroes wear stuff like pantyhose and tights? I mean, get real! Either that or they're like the Hulk, bursting out of their clothes all the time. That's not me, see. I just want to be able to use my frikkin' alien DNA for something useful for a change. And if I help a few people in the process, that's a good thing, right?

The fact is, for the last few days, I had been kind of preoccupied -Isabel said "obsessed-" with this vision I got when I touched that key in Valenti's office. I kept seeing this geometric dome, even in my dreams when I was asleep. I knew it was something important, something that might help us find out who we were… and maybe help us get back home. Then Max told me about this stuff that his boss at the UFO museum had on his computer, stuff that could help answer our questions. So I sneaked into the museum and downloaded two pages about this guy named Atherton. Unfortunately, I didn't notice that Max's boss was sleeping at a desk nearby, and the computer woke him up. He had me arrested, and Max had to make up a story about sending me over there to get something for him after hours. But now I had something real to go on… something that could lead us to our goal. And I fully intended to follow up on it.

Marathon, Texas. That's where I had to go. Only trouble is, I didn't have a way to get there. Max wouldn't give me the keys to the jeep. He wanted to wait until we got more information about the place. And my bike was temporarily indisposed. It had a busted wheel. Don't ask! I knew that whatever was in Marathon wasn't going to wait, so I started looking for some other way to get there. That's when Maria showed up with this cracked assignment one of our teachers had handed out. We were supposed to pair up with certain people. The teacher… that would be Mr. Sommers… decided who got paired up with who. Or is it whom? Well, anyway, whatever… Actually, Agent Topolsky did the pairing, but I didn't know that then. Maria must've won the "karma sucks" lottery or something, 'cause she got paired up with me. She was supposed to ask me these really stupid questions, like what kind of ice cream I liked and what my favorite TV show was. I wasn't the slightest bit interested. See, going to class was kind of a hobby for me back then… I did it when I felt the inclination… which wasn't often. And I wasn't feeling any inclination to answer questions for a stupid class assignment right then. I just wanted to get to Marathon.

That's when I realized that Maria had a car. Okay, it was really her mom's car, as she pointed out, but hey, details, you know. It was a car. And with a little luck, it would get me to Marathon, I figured. So I offered to answer her questions if she would give me a ride to the highway. She was going that way anyway to drop off something for her mom at the lift-off gas station, so she agreed. When she got out to go inside, I took the car. And for the record, I wasn't stealing it! I was only borrowing it. I did intend to return it.

I had no intention of taking Maria along. That was her idea. She just couldn't bear for us to be apart. Okay, okay, the truth… it was the car she didn't want to let go of, but, hey, I was in it, right? She jumped in with me and refused to get out, so what could I do?

_He's stealing my car… You're stealing my car!_

_I'm borrowing your car. Now get out._

_You're telling me to get out? This is my car. Actually, it's my mother's car, and if anything happens to it, life as I know it will be over. So wherever it goes, I go._

_Fine, you had your chance._

_Omigod! You're kidnapping me. No, wait, you're abducting me._

And that's how I abducted my first human. And I wasn't even a full-fledged member of the alien abductor's guild yet. Now, see, Maria's smiling now… but she wasn't smiling back then, when I was taking her car. She was, well, acting like she was… being abducted… or something. She managed to let Liz know what was going on and where she was with her cell phone, and then we had Liz, Max, and Isabel all chasing after us in Max's jeep. And Kyle was following them. Kyle couldn't figure out what we were up to. He just didn't want Liz around us. He was acting like the jealous boyfriend… ex-boyfriend, actually. The irony is that his dad, the sheriff, had started to figure things out already, and he didn't want Kyle in the way, but he couldn't tell Kyle what he knew… or what he thought he knew. That left Kyle trying to figure everything out on his own…

_There's always something weird going on with them, Dad. Like… like today at the CrashDown. Max and Isabel leave in some big hurry and they take Liz with 'em. Like, right in the middle of our conversation… They just drove off… They're not home… They lied to their parents. It's just weird, you know?_

_You have any idea where they went?_

_No._

_Yeah, well, I'm sure they'll turn up._

_Dad, what do you know about Max Evans?_

_Kyle, stay out of this._

_What do you know, Dad?_

_I'll talk to you later._

Valenti wanted to put all the pieces of the puzzle in place first, and he didn't want Kyle getting in the way, but his refusal to tell Kyle anything just guaranteed that Kyle would try to find out on his own. Meanwhile, Maria was still freaking out over being "abducted."

_Marathon, Texas? That's like in another state._

_It's only 3 more hours._

_You are going to be arrested._

_For driving to Texas?_

_Across a state line with a minor? In a stolen vehicle? There are laws, you know. And that cell phone you just tossed? Vandalism of personal property. God, I just… I knew you had criminal tendencies. You even drive erratically._

_What's exactly wrong with my driving?_

_I told you not to go over eighty. The engine won't take it._

_Maybe it's just tired of hearing you talk._

_Oh… so what… what's in Marathon? Contraband? Some woman? What?_

_You wouldn't understand. You don't understand anything about us._

_Listen, I already know more than I want to, okay?_

_See, it's all about you, isn't it? This could be the most important day of my life and all you care about…_

That's when we heard the siren and noticed the police car behind us…

_Are you happy now? Go ahead! Tell 'em I kidnapped you and I stole your car. I mean, what's one more arrest on my record, huh? Damn it!_

_What do you mean, this could be the most important day of your life?_

_Forget it._

_You have 20 seconds to convince me._

_See this place? It's the first real connection we've ever had to finding out where we come from, and it's in Marathon, Texas. If I don't get there, or if somebody else gets there first, the only link we've ever found will be gone._

I guess she must have believed me. Either that or she was crazy about me and just wouldn't admit it. What? Yes, you were! Admit it! You liked me. Yeah, okay, I liked you, too. But I wasn't going to let that get in the way of our getting back home. Max and Isabel and I had agreed… no entanglements. And you were definitely an entanglement. Well, I don't mind being entangled now. I like it, actually, now. But back then I was still fighting it… and denying it. And getting pulled over by a cop wasn't making my day -or my mood- any brighter.

_Ninety-four! Where you going in such a hurry, son?_

That's when Maria finally made up her mind whose side she was on…

_I've really gotta pee. See… I… I've… I have this like really weak bladder condition and I drank a Big Gulp at the last station, and it had caffeine, you know, so it makes me have to go even more. So he was just driving really fast so we could get to the next station so I could pee._

_Could I see your license, please?_

_Of course, officer._

_There's a drive-thru about three miles up. Nice clean rest rooms. And watch your speed._

Maria looked at me with this really penetrating look… _You owe me big._

I did… and I knew it. And that sent all kinds of mixed feelings through me, almost enough to give a displaced alien a meltdown. On the one hand, I was relieved, obviously. I wasn't going to get arrested again. On the other hand, I didn't like being obligated to anyone… and it had to be to Maria, of all people! That just had to come back to bite me somehow! And then there was this _minor_ problem… this very uncomfortable… warm… cuddly feeling that Maria was giving me. It felt good, and that was just something I couldn't deal with. I had never felt that way before. Attraction… hormones… normal teenage lust… I was familiar with those things, but this was different. It scared the hell out of me. Because these feelings meant that I was losing a part of me… a part that Maria owned. I wasn't sure I could deal with that. But I also wasn't having much success fighting it. I was definitely not going to let her know that, though. The day I let her know that, it would all be over. I might as well practice yelling, "Honey, I'm home!" Mighty Mouse was suddenly looking pretty good! What? Yeah, I know I do, but I don't mind all that now. I like being the "man of the house" now. I like being married to you. But back then it scared the crap out of me. It was like I was jumping off a cliff, and I knew it, but I couldn't stop myself. All I could do was yell all the way down as I fell. What? No, I wasn't yelling, "Here I come to save the day." Let me tell this story, Maria. I'll be the Joker here if you don't mind.

Okay, where was I? Oh yeah! Things got worse when the car suddenly decided to die… and Maria was, like, "I told you so."

_Did you pull on the chokey thing?_

_Yes, I did pull on the chokey thing._

_Hurry. Just do something. Go!_

_Don't tempt me._

_Come on. Wiggle your nose, blink your eyes, do the Samantha-Jeannie alien thing. Come on._

_I can't._

_Why not? Come on! If there's ever a time to have secret powers, now is the time._

_They're not secret powers._

_I don't care what you call them! Just use them and get us out of here._

"What do you want me to do, Maria? Throw fireballs at it? Come to think of it, that's not a bad idea really!"

"Michael, don't you dare!"

"I could use my powers to lift it up and hang it in a tree maybe!"

"Just use them to fix it!"

"I can't! You have to know something about car engines, and I'm not a mechanic. I just know how to blow things up and throw bad guys around. I'm… still not very proficient… with my powers. I'm learning, okay?"

"Well learn while you're fixing Mom's car… please? I really don't want to spend the night out here, Michael. Just try?"

I sighed and opened the hood. I wasn't sure what to do, but maybe, I figured, if I touched… And then again, maybe not.

"What did you just do?"

"I humiliated myself, okay? I fried the engine! Apparently, Jettas aren't wired for super powers. Next time, tell your mother to get a Viper!"

My "super powers" had super fried Maria's engine… or, at least, the battery. Either way, it was obvious that we weren't going anywhere. I figured we would be spending the night in the car, so I climbed into the back seat and started to move this box out of the way… the one that Maria was supposed to deliver to the lift-off gas station for her mom… and when I touched it, this green alien… balloon creature… suddenly inflated in my face.

_Well, that's nice._

_What? What? My mother makes them. What… Where are you going!_

_See that motel over there? I want to get some sleep._

_No, Michael. Wait._

_"126 dollars… COD… cash preferred./i Isn't that what you said to the guy at the Lift-Off? Is that the going rate for a little humiliation now, Maria?"_

_"I told you, Mom makes them. They're just novelties… they're souvenirs. It's Roswell, Michael! Everybody makes money off of the aliens in some way or another."_

_"Yeah… Everybody but the aliens."_

_"I told you not to touch the box. Damn it, Michael, nobody told you to steal Mom's car anyway!"_

_Maria followed me into the motel, and I got a key and paid for a room. When I opened the door to the room, she looked around like she had just walked into a bordello._

_iIt's like the porno version of Aladdin._

_At least it's warm._

_I don't even want to think about what I could catch in here._

_You know, if you stop being such a princess about things…_

_Princess? No, no! I think I've been a pretty good sport up until now, but I'm cold, and I'm hungry, and I'm in some nookie motel with a guy I… I barely even know, and I… and I just… I really want to go home right now._

I wasn't going to admit it, but I could kind of see Maria's point. But then I told myself that she didn't have to jump back in the car again back there at the gas station. She could have been at home in her own bed right now. It was her own choice. Now I just had to convince myself of that.

_Do you get hungry, Michael, just like the rest of us?_

_Yeah. Of course I get hungry._

_What, uh… what other human urges do you feel?_

_Not if you were the last woman on Earth._

_Ditto. And so you know, I am not gonna be getting an "F" on this assignment, so you better start answering some questions… right now, pally… and I mean for real. So… favorite ice cream flavor?_

_Pistachio._

_Pistachio… favorite TV show?_

_Win Ben Stein's Money._

_Ok, favorite book?_

_James Joyce… Ulysses._

_You have not read Ulysses._

_"What incensed him the most was the blatant jokes of the ones who pass it all off as a jest, pretending to understand everything and in reality not knowing their own minds." Page 655. Told you you wouldn't understand. Next question._

_All right, how about just one personal question? You know, since I didn't turn you in back there. Why is it so important to you to find out where you come from?_

_Because there's gotta be something better out there for me than Roswell, New Mexico… What's so funny._

"I've had those same feelings. Is that why you're doing this Avenger stuff… to get away from Roswell? Isn't that kind of counter productive?"

"Yeah, well, who asked you!"

Maria told me about her dreams of being whisked away in a limo by her father, who comes back for them and is filthy rich now. And he takes Maria and her mom away from Roswell to live this great life of splendor and happiness somewhere far away.

_Substitute a spaceship for the limo, and you see what I mean… I don't suppose we could share the bed?_

_Not if you were the last alien on Earth._

Maria took the bed, I laid down on the floor beside it, and we both went to sleep. But a short time later, the "three Musketeers" figured out where we were. They saw Maria's mom's Jetta outside. Liz wanted to knock, but Isabel chose to use her powers, and the sounds of the door unlocking woke Maria up. She rolled off the bed on top of me.

_Aaah! Liz!"_

_Maria!_

_What are you guys doing here, Liz?_

_Um… well, we thought you were in trouble, but… yeah… I guess we were wrong._

_No! No! You don't think… I mean, that is like so unreal! I mean… come on, would you tell them, Michael?_

_Come on, Honey, we don't have to lie._

Maria gasped and started hitting me. Yep, she liked me! Isabel just shook her head…

_I believe you. The day Michael calls anybody "Honey," it's all over._

And then, as if things weren't already bad enough, Kyle just waltzed in through the open door. Everyone stopped talking and turned to look.

"Great! It's the fourth Musketeer! What do you want, Kyle?"

_Why don't you go ahead and finish what you were saying? Or are you afraid that I'll find out what your little secret is? Are you afraid that I might find out what the hell you guys are doing out here… in the middle of nowhere… in the middle of the night?_

_Get out, Kyle._

I threw Kyle across the room, but he got back up and tried to get Liz and Maria to leave with him. They refused.

_Just stop it, both of you, okay? This has gone so out of control! I am not your girlfriend anymore, Kyle._

_Liz, I don't know what's going on here, and I don't care. I just want you to come back with me._

_You don't belong here, Kyle. This is none of your business._

Kyle shook his head in disbelief. _I don't know… I don't know what I ever saw in you._

He left, and Max offered to take us all home, but then Liz demanded to know everything. I wasn't too keen on the idea, but Isabel decided to tell her…

_What do you want to know?_

_Everything._

_That'll make you accomplices._

_Go ahead._

Max and Isabel told Liz and Maria about the key and about my breaking into Valenti's office to try to find the picture Maria had seen from 1959… the one of the dead body with the handprint on it. They told them everything. And I filled in the gaps.

Liz looked thoughtful…

_So you guys think that this key is gonna unlock the dome and then… and then you guys are gonna find something there… something that's gonna help you figure out where you actually come from?_

_Yes._

_Then what are we waiting for?_

"Morning," Max said, "Early. We need some sleep first. It's 2 AM."

"You guys sleep? Maria asked.

I groaned. "Yeah! Imagine that! Just like real people."

"Well, you don't have to be so huffy. It's not like I've met any aliens before. How would I know?"

"It's what I came into the motel to do. Remember?"

"Oh."

"You thought maybe… something else?"

"No! Of course not! I just know how you… how you think… sometimes."

I should have been angry, but all I could do was grin. I didn't let Maria see it, though. Max, Liz, and Isabel left and got another room. You know, I would have given a day out of my life to be a fly on the wall in that room. But I was tired. I don't remember drifting off to sleep again, but I did. The next thing I remember is Maria rolling off the bed on top of me again. We both woke up at the same time when she fell into my arms.

"This is getting to be a habit, Honey. Wouldn't it be easier in the bed?"

"No! It wouldn't!"

Okay, that was not Maria's voice… I jumped up quickly. Sheriff Valenti was standing over us.

"Maria, get your things together… I'm taking you home."

"Sheriff!"

"Now!"

I was pissed. Lord knows, I wasn't getting any sleep. And I guess I kind of blew up…

"What the hell is this! Grand Central Station? Are they handing out the key to our room now to everyone who walks in? Who's next… the Pope? Can't a guy get a little sleep… and PRIVACY? In his own motel room!"

Sheriff Valenti had always intimidated Maria for some reason, and she hurried to wrap herself in the blanket from off the bed. It wasn't like she was afraid of him like being afraid of a robber. He was more like a strict father figure. Her first thought was to defend herself… in her own way.

"I'm a big girl, Sheriff. I… I know what I'm doing."

"You think? Well, maybe you do, but I know what your mama will do… to ME… if I let you stay here tonight… with HIM."

"Did you come here to save me, Sheriff… or to save yourself?"

Valenti took a deep breath. "A little of both maybe. Actually, I came here to talk… to Michael."

I hadn't been prepared for that, and it definitely took me by surprise.

"Just talk? With me? You don't want to throw me in jail or something?"

Valenti shrugged. "That's one option. But you haven't done anything…" He looked at Maria sharply and added, "That I know of… yet. So I guess I'm just here to talk… unless Maria wants me to take her home."

Maria moved over next to me and leaned against me. It gave me that warm cuddly feeling again.

Sheriff Valenti nodded. "I guess I have my answer."

"What do you want from me, Sheriff? If you're not arresting me and I'm not doing anything wrong… why are you here?"

"I don't know that you're not doing anything wrong. I never said that. I just don't know that you are. I can't arrest you for what you might have done. Is there something I should arrest you for?"

Maria and I both shook our heads.

"Then I'm just here to talk. I've suspected a link between the two of you for some time. Strange things happen… and I find something that belongs to Maria. It's getting to be a regular habit. But it got me to thinking. Roswell's a pretty tame place… normally. But there are times when there are these annoying little problems that a sheriff can't do anything about… No proof or the perpetrator of the crime can't be found. And so I got to thinking. Here's someone who, by all appearances, WANTS to be a hero… and he's got the girl… just like in the movies. She provides him with… what? Cover? Supplies? Information? Whatever… you work together. Amy will probably rip my ears off, shove them up my rear, and tie them around my liver for even thinking about what I'm about to suggest, but… I have several unsolved cases that could use… special talents. And you need someone on your side. Well, someone besides just Maria. Actually, you both need someone on your side. Amy doesn't have to know about this, does she?"

Maria shook her head vigorously.

"Good."

Valenti appeared to relax a bit. "What I'm proposing is an alliance… of sorts. You see, Michael, I don't care what you are. I care WHO you are. I admit, that wasn't always the case, but some things have opened my eyes lately. And I've given it a lot of thought. If you wanted to cause trouble, you could do it. I don't mean the normal teenage stuff. I mean… real trouble… the kind somebody from… out there somewhere might be capable of. But you've never been that kind of person. You've been in trouble with the law, but it was regular stuff. And I know Hank. He's not an easy man to live with. I guess I could be wrong about you, but my gut is telling me that I should trust you."

"Go with that feeling, Sheriff."

"Yes, well… that's easy enough to say… quite another thing in practice… when you're the sheriff. Still…"

"What would you want me to do for you… in exchange for… being on my side?"

"Nothing too much… help out with a few old cases that went cold… and maybe a few new ones from time to time. Stuff like that. You wouldn't have to do anything really. I'll make the arrests. I just need your special talents to find a few people and get evidence for me. Think you could handle that?"

"You gonna shine a bat light up in the sky whenever you want me to come running?"

Valenti smiled. "I don't think the council would approve the cost. And they'd want to know what it was for. I'll figure something out that's less… dramatic."

"What if I said I don't need you on my side?"

"Oh, you do! Believe me! I'm not the only one out there looking for you. But I can give you protection… well, a lot more than you would have without me. I'm not saying I can guarantee you total protection, but it's better than nothing. What do you say?"

"What if I needed time to think about it?"

"Then think about it." Valenti stood up and put his hat back on. "You know where to find me.

Oh, and, Michael… you should lock this door. Anyone could just walk in." With that admonishment, Valenti walked out of the room and left. I held up my hand, and the door slammed shut and locked.

"Robin! He thinks we're Batman and Robin… him and me!"

Maria smiled. "I don't think he's comparing you to Robin, Michael. He's offering you a peace offering."

"One that I have to pay for. It's not free, Maria."

"It might still be worth considering, though, Michael, don't you think? I mean, at least he wouldn't be chasing you anymore."

"No, not if I just turn myself in to him… tell him everything… and then do his job for him."

Maria grinned. "Well, I'm glad to see you're considering it anyway."

I fell back onto the floor and closed my eyes… "I need sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a big day. Maybe I'll find out how to get home. Then I won't need Valenti… or anyone else."

Maria nodded then climbed back into the bed and covered herself up.

"Michael?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Good night."

I held my hand up and the lights went out. Then I smiled.

"Good night, Maria."

**End of Episode 105**

**tbc…**


	9. Ep 106 Sweet n' Spicy

**Codename: TABASCO**

(The Awesome Background And Secret Chronicles Of Michael Guerin)

**Episode 106**

**Sweet n' Spicy **

**& Writings On The Wall (River Dog)**

By the time the sun had begun to rise, we were already back on the road and on our way to Marathon. Frankly, Maria and I got very little sleep in Aladdin's pleasure boudoir that night, but I have to say that us sleeping together did give me a kind of new perspective. Huh? Yes we did! Okay, "in the same room." Geez! Details! Anyway, as I was saying, sleeping with Maria kind of gave me this whole new perspective about her, you know? I wasn't ready to admit it, most of all to myself, but I was kind of starting to like her… in a weird kind of way. I mean, she could have been real hard nosed about being, you know, "abducted," and me taking her mom's car, and all that other stuff, and she could've had me arrested and ruined any hope we ever had of finding out who we were. But she didn't do that. She gave me a chance. Nobody ever really did that before Maria.

It took about four hours to get to Marathon, Texas, but when we got there, there it was… just like I told 'em. Not Marathon, the dome. They couldn't doubt me anymore, not even Isabel…

_It's just like you drew it, Michael._

_I told you it was something._

But when I took the key out of my pocket and stuck it in the front door, the door didn't open. So Max decided to unlock it with his powers…

_We've come this far. Maybe it unlocks something inside._

Then we saw that the place had already been ransacked pretty good before we got there. As Liz pointed out at the time, somebody was definitely looking for something. Max figured whatever it was they were looking for they'd probably already found it a long time ago, but I wasn't so sure. I held the key in my hand again, and suddenly I saw this blurry image.

_There's something here. A room._

_Where?_

_I don't know, Max. It's hidden._

That's when I saw another keyhole… I put the key in and turned it, and a secret door popped up out of the floor.

_Jackpot, Maximilian._

We went down some steps into the hidden room, and I was just starting to look around when I heard something that sounded like footsteps over our heads.

Max waved his hand to get our attention… _Somebody's up there._

I had a good idea who it was…

"Great! Batman's here. I've got to tell him to stop following me like this. He's becoming a boor already."

Isabel looked at me like I'd totally lost my mind. "Batman? What's that supposed to mean, Michael? Honestly, I wonder about you sometimes."

Then, suddenly, there was another sound… a sound I knew too well. It was someone's head getting smacked… hard. And I knew whose head it was. I also knew he was unconscious, because I heard him hit the floor like a ton of bricks. I could only guess who it was that whacked him… one of Topolsky's agents… Hell, maybe even Topolsky herself. Topolsky wasn't exactly some shy, shrinking violet, if you know what I mean. She wouldn't mind beaning the sheriff if he stood on her shadow… Back then, that is… before all that stuff happened that brought her over to our side. Now she's one of us. Crazy thing is, I think getting beaned in the head addled the sheriff, 'cause he seemed to enjoy it. He was like, 'Damn, that woman is hot.' Not right at that moment, of course… he was unconscious… but after he woke up again and his headache wore off. He sounded like a new member of the Agent Topolsky Admiration Society. Membership: one… well, two, really… him and her. But whatever, that was his problem. We had our own problems. What we came to Marathon to find was about to be snatched away right under our noses. So I started grabbing all the papers I could and stuffing them into a box…

_Whoever's up there looking for us isn't gonna stop until they find us. I'm gonna find out everything I can before they do._

We probably would have been caught if Maria and Liz hadn't seen a rat run into a hidden tunnel. We followed the rat and got out just in time… but not before Isabel saw this necklace with an alien-looking symbol on it and palmed it.

As we were driving off, I saw Topolsky pop out of the tunnel we had just come out of. She was onto us. But it wasn't going to happen… not this time. We had slipped through her fingers. I knew deep inside that I probably owed Sheriff Valenti for that. If his head hadn't got in the way and slowed her down… Anyway, I just hoped his head would be okay. It was hard. I had a feeling he'd be fine. And I had a feeling, too, that Topolsky would make herself real scarce before he woke up again.

Driving back home with Maria in her mom's car, we were talking about different stuff… You know… who we are and all mostly, and I realized that I wasn't the only one whose emotions were being challenged that day…

…_All this time that I've known you, Michael, I've just always thought of you as, like, this "guy," you know… like this weird guy from the other side of the tracks going nowhere in life; which, of course, you know, you still are that, but… what I didn't realize was that there's this whole other side to you._

_What, that I'm from…_

_Well, clearly there's that; but putting that aside, underneath that, um, weird, poorly bathed exterior, there's, like, this whole… deeply wounded, vulnerable guy._

_Listen, alright, in terms of what happened yesterday between us, that was just… we were on the road. Alright, we talked. That's all. Over._

_Of course. Wait. You think something happened between us._

I wouldn't admit it to her, but inside, I think I may have smiled. Yep. The Avenger had something going for him. I sensed it. What's that? Well… yeah, sure, I guess. Go ahead. Why should I do all the talking? Uh, but don't embarrass me, Maria.

We'll see! I just wanted to tell our little muse that there was this whole other conversation that I had with Liz later… about you, Michael.

_The thing about Michael, Liz, is that he's weird but surprisingly interesting._

_He's interesting?_

_Not interesting for me, obviously._

_Oh, yes, obviously._

_I mean, it can never be. There's a number of obstacles: his hair, his personality, the fact that he was hatched._

Um, Okay, I'm ready to tell this story again, Maria. You can stop now.

Not yet, Dear.

_Can you please tell me what happened in that motel room?_

_I told you, Liz, nothing happened._

_Are you sure?_

_Nothing physical, although it wasn't very verbal, either. What Michael and I share… well, it's non-verbal. Michael is the type of person my mom likes to refer to as a vibrator._

_A vibrator?_

_You know what I mean… someone who communicates by, you know, sending vibes out into the atmosphere._

_What kind of vibes was he sending you?_

_Vibes that are, you know…_

You see, Michael, you thought you were the only one who noticed. But a girl knows what she feels. We just don't always post it as headlines in the morning newspaper… well, not till we're ready to anyway.

So, then, you agree that we had, like, this thing already going… even back then?

It was going. I wasn't openly admitting it. But I knew that what I was feeling wasn't a fetish for cute, Tabasco-swilling, mixed up alien studs… just one particular lovable one. You can tell your story again now."

I don't know, Ria… You're doing just fine now. Maybe you should…

No, I'm enjoying listening to you tell it, Michael.

Alright, well, it seems Topolsky got a call from her supervisor, Agent Stevens, of the FBI…

_Your assignment… Repeat it to me._

…_observe the subjects and determine whether or not the theories about them are substantiated._

_You're forgetting something, Agent… the word "covertly." To "covertly" observe the subjects to determine whether or not the theories about them are substantiated. Covertly!_

_I've been acting covertly._

_Drop-kicking the sheriff? You call that covertly?_

_The sheriff was endangering my operation._

_Your operation?_

_Our operation._

_Wrong again, Agent. Not your operation. Not our operation. My operation! Mine! I think I have a piece of my bagel permanently lodged in my esophagus. New orders, Agent Topolsky. See if you can follow 'em this time. Whatever those kids took from that house, I want it. Get it. Whatever those kids are doing right now, I want to know about it. Do you understand, Agent Topolsky?_

_I understand._

_By any means necessary, Agent._

_Yes, sir._

_Don't waste my time, Agent!_

_I'm all over it._

And she was… And I knew it, though I didn't know about that phone call. Kathleen told us a lot of the little details years later… here on Antar. Anyway, at the time, I knew she was "all over it," because we couldn't shake her. She always seemed to be in the shadows everywhere we went. And if she wasn't, her agent cronies were. She was like a skunk's scent… obnoxious and unshakable. Uh, no offense, Kath! We weren't exactly on the same team back then like now. What? No, you smell a lot better now. OW! Hehehe. Kidding! Hey, that skunk thing was just a… a… you know… a metaphor. You smell good. Can I live now? Maria, protect me here! I'm your husband! What do you mean, I deserved it? It was a JOKE. YOU'RE laughing… even Kathleen's laughing… Uh, you're not gonna dump any more of that sand on my head are you, Kathleen? Okay… But it was funny… you've gotta admit. And when you were Agent Topolsky you did give us a lot of headaches… That's all I was saying. We like you now, Kath. But that wasn't always the case. And we really, really didn't need the FBI on our tails day and night, so I went to meet with Sheriff Valenti in his office. He had offered to help us in exchange for a little help from me, and I needed to know all about this Atherton guy, so I asked him to get me information on Atherton… and I asked him to get Agent Topolsky off our tails. Oh, and I asked him how his head was feeling.

"It hurts. She packs a kick like a mule… like to gave me a concussion. I'll see what I can do about your… requests. Give me a little time… an afternoon should do it."

"Thanks, Sheriff. That information… it's really important to us."

Valenti knew what he was doing. He went straight to Milton, the UFO Museum guy, and asked him about Atherton. Milton was a walking, talking encyclopedia of everything alien related, and he rattled off everything that was known about James Atherton, including that he disappeared in 1959 and that some thought he had been abducted by aliens. After getting this information -which I learned later Valenti wanted as bad as we did- he set about taking care of the Topolsky problem. But in the meantime, her agents broke into the Evans' house and stole the box of papers I had brought from Atherton's house. It was in Max's room. To make it look like a robbery, they also stole the TV, the VCR, and a bunch of other stuff out of the living room. But Valenti wasn't fooled. He paid a visit to Topolsky at school… without overtly accusing her… to let her know he was onto her. And a day or so later, he pulled her car over as she was trying to follow us…

_Did you lose something, Ms. Topolsky?_

_What about you, sheriff? Do you always chase cars when you're off duty?_

_Only when they blow through three red lights, two stop signs, and do 70 in a 30-mile-an-hour zone. Ms. Topolsky, you are a walking, talking, moving violation._

_I'll take that the best way I can._

_Now, I could bring you in, hold you overnight… while I'm at it, do a thorough background check to find out what our new guidance counselor is really up to… or we could just have a nice conversation._

At that point, Topolsky knew she had no choice but to deal, and she and Valenti moved their conversation to a local bar.

_How long have you been following me, Sheriff?_

_A while now._

_Observe anything unusual?_

_Well, besides an FBI agent being assigned to our local high school, yes, I have. That's a hell of a kick you've got going. It about gave me a concussion. It's a good thing I'm not the sensitive type._

_Aren't you? It seems to me a man who spends his entire life trying to avenge his father's mistakes could be considered sensitive._

_Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about my father's mistakes if I were you, Agent Topolsky. It seems you've made a few of your own._

_Such as?_

_Well, such as letting them slip through your fingers._

Them?

_Whoever it is you're after… Such as exposing yourself to the local…_

_Maybe we're taking the wrong tack here, Sheriff._

_It's funny how everybody agrees they've taken the wrong tack when their cover's been blown. Well, anyway, I just thought I'd give you a heads up before I call your superiors and let them know you've been made._

_Sheriff, look. If my superiors find out about this, I'm off the case… gone for good, and where does that leave you? Isn't there some other way we can work this out?_

_Why, whatever could you be thinking, Ms. Topolsky?_

_I probably have information that you would like to have, and you have information that I might want. Maybe we can work together here._

_Let me think about that._

I guess if I had been there and had heard Valenti say he wanted to think about it, I might have drop-kicked him myself. But maybe he was just being smart… trying to get what information he could from her. And he did get her off our tails… as promised… at least for the moment. His continuing allegiances remained to be determined. Fortunately, he made the right choices in the end, and so did she. But back then he was still trying to get whatever he could on us… at the same time as he was trying to help us. It looked a little two-faced, but he was playing all the positions in order to win the game.

I need to back up just a little bit, though, to right after the robbery at the Evans' house. Deputy Owens noticed the necklace Isabel was wearing… the one she took from Atherton's house… and he knew that he had seen the symbol on the necklace before…

_Where did you get that?_

_At the mall. Kind of like the retro look. Why?_

_I just haven't seen anything like that since I left the reservation._

_Well… maybe they're branching out._

_Right._

_Which reservation?_

_I grew up on the Mescalero reservation just outside of town._

Later, when I got my first look at the pendant Isabel was wearing, I knew that I had seen the symbol on it somewhere before, too. But not on any reservation… in my mind. I guess I was staring, because Isabel noticed…

_What?_

_I know that. I know that. How do I know that?_

_Pretty wild, huh? I found it at Atherton's._

_This has to mean something._

Max thought it was a symbol from our past. Unfortunately, we had to stay low and under the radar for the moment, because the FBI guys were all over the place. We couldn't just run off to the reservation and check it out. So Liz decided to do it for us. But Max wasn't having any of it…

_Max, you saved my life._

_What does that have to do with it?_

…_If anything happened to you… or Michael or Isabel, I just… I couldn't live with that. Let me do this one thing._

_Liz, I already told you no._

_Max, I didn't come here for permission. I came here for the pendant. If you don't give it to me, I'll just draw it. I'm going._

Score one for the girl! I gotta confess, I never wanted Liz or any of them messing in our lives in the beginning, but I did have to give her her due. I loved Mister "I'm the king, we'll do it my way" getting his tail bobbed. Okay, that's not the way he saw it… or the way Liz meant it… but she did kick ass back there. I almost thought I was seeing Maria. Maria can kick some serious ass. What? No, I'm not going to forget it, don't worry. It's part of why I love you. You got spunk.

So Liz was off to the reservation with the pendant in her hand. And I just had this kind of creepy feeling deep down inside like the Avenger was going to be needed. So I excused myself from the others and followed Liz… covertly. I was right. Before she was even out of Roswell, she had a tail. And not just one tail, either, but three of them. They were trying to stay invisible, but these guys were about as covert as a herpes sore. I didn't want to make any spectacles in Roswell, so I rushed ahead and hid, waiting just far enough out of town so as not to be seen be everyone. Then Liz drove by. Moments later, the first carload of agents appeared… and it's engine shut down mysteriously. Slowly, it coasted to a stop. The other two cars pulled up behind it and rolled down their windows.

"You guys need some help?"

"Forget about us! Stay on the girl! Don't lose her!"

The agent driving the second car tried to pull out again and follow Liz, but his car accelerated suddenly and rammed the car that had broken down. Then it backed up into the third car, leaving that car's hood crumpled and its engine smoking.

"What the hell are you doing, Bartley? You're putting us all off the chase! Who gave you your license?"

"I don't know what happened. I put it in drive, and it just took off. Then it slipped into reverse. I didn't do it, the car did it!"

"Cars don't drive themselves, Bartley. You screwed up."

The agent driving the first car huffed. "You guys stop arguing. I think I can fix this one. It's probably just a blockage in the fuel line."

The agent opened the hood and searched for the fuel line. He probably could have fixed it. I hadn't really fried it… yet. I had just made a bubble in the fuel line. But at that moment, a motorbike drove up and this guy who looked like he was in town for the UFO convention or something got off and offered to help.

"Keep going, buddy. We don't need any help."

"You look like you've got a battery problem. I've got experience with this. I can take care of it for you in no time."

"Yeah? Well… okay… do it then."

The agents moved aside, and I reached into the engine, thinking silently… iOkay, this is where I put my hand in the Jetta… right… here. Like I said… experience./i

Flashes, sulphuric smoke, agents running, coughing… "It's gonna blow!"

I shook my head and acted disappointed. "Aw, damn! Your engine's fried. Where'd you get these clunkers? I never saw a car spew out smoke like that before! It's almost like it's saying, 'leave me alone!' I hope you've still got the warranties."

"I told you! I told you!" Agent Bartley shouted, feeling vindicated. "It's the frikkin' cars! They're possessed."

"Too bad YOU'RE not possessed, Bartley… by intelligence. Shut up."

The agent looked at me and nodded toward the road. "Get out of here. You didn't see anything. We'll take care of it."

"Sorry man. I never saw a car do crazy stuff like that before… well, except one. It had to be crushed before it could be stopped. It would start up all by itself. Took its driver on a 200 mile ride at 120 mph. Driver couldn't stop it, couldn't control it. The car was in control all the way. Same kind of car, too."

"Go! Get out of here!"

"I'm going. I'd get rid of those cars, though, man. They're dangerous."

I hopped on my bike and drove off. After I was a good ways down the road, I changed my looks and the color and wheels of my bike back and grinned. "That should slow 'em down pretty good."

888888888888888

On the Mescalero Reservation, meanwhile, Liz was showing the mysterious pendant to a souvenir shop clerk when out of nowhere, a hand reached out and grabbed her arm, turning her around brusquely. The hand belonged to an elderly Mercalero named River Dog, and his eyes seemed to be burning a hole in the pendant that Liz had been showing the souvenir peddler. But the old Mescalero didn't speak. Instead, after looking at the pendant, he turned and walked away.

_Who was that?_

_Stay away from him,_ the peddler warned Liz seriously.

But when Liz was about to get back into her car, River Dog showed up again, and he reached for the pendant…

_Give me that._

_Who are you?_

_Please! Where did you get this?_

_We just… found it._

_We?_

_No… uh, I found it._

_Who else knows? How many know? Tell me._

_No one else knows._

_How did you know to come here? Were you followed?_

_No, I wasn't. I… what does this mean to you? Please tell me._

_This is dangerous. It brings death._

That was it. That was the extent of the conversation. To say that River Dog was not exactly a talkative sort would be an understatement. But he did have an air of mystery about him… and a graveness that gave Liz pause.

Back at the CrashDown, later, a young Mescalero named Eddie came in and ordered a redskin basket. Liz caught the meaning in his voice and told him that she had been trying to get that name changed.

_I have a message from River Dog. He'll meet you at ten o'clock tonight… Come alone… The reservation… Someone will meet you._

When Liz told us about the appointment, we knew that it was important. But Topolsky and her agents were watching every move we made. So we cooked up a plan to give the agents the slip. Actually, MAX cooked up the plan. I wasn't exactly happy with it, because it used me as bait while Max and Liz got to go see River Dog.

_Is he still following us, Michael?_

_I don't know, Max. I think so._

_I can't believe this,_ Isabel groaned, _I… I just wish things would go back to the way they were._

_I still think this plan bites._

_Michael, the plan does not bite._

_I'm being used as a pawn. I want to go meet this River Dog guy._

We dropped Max off at the cinema with Liz and then drove off quickly to make it look like we were trying to lose the agents following us. But we wanted them to follow us. Isabel and I were the bait. Meanwhile, Max and Liz walked through the theater to a pre-arranged place where they were to meet up with Maria. Then they drove away in Maria's car… to see River Dog.

At the reservation, Eddie balked about taking them to River Dog, because River Dog had only asked Liz to come. But Liz convinced him to let Max stay.

_There will be a test. If you pass the test, River Dog will answer all your questions._

And here I was… stuck at the CrashDown with Maria and Isabel, listening to Isabel's deepest inner feelings and answering questions for Maria about my DNA… Oh, happy happy joy joy!

_Ok, so what's with the Tabasco sauce?_

_Sweet and spicy,_ I replied, while munching on a piece of cake I had swiped from the counter.

_Sweet and spicy?_

_We all like things extremely sweet mixed with extremely spicy,_ Isabel explained, _It's our little dietary quirk._

_Well, I'll have to, uh, keep that in mind,_ Maria said with a trace of a smile.

I nodded. _You do that._

_Are you two flirting? God, could my life get any worse!_

I remember thinking, the only consolation about having to wait there for Max and Liz to return was that Isabel was just as miserable as I was. Life was fair after all! But they'd better get back soon!

On the reservation, Max and Liz were being led on an unexpectedly long hike and had begun to wonder if Eddie was really taking them to River Dog… or somewhere else…

_Um, Eddie? How much… How much further is it?_

_It's very close._

But Liz wasn't so sure now. _Max, I don't think this is a good idea anymore. We've been walking for too long._

_Eddie, uh, where exactly are you taking us?_

_You're here._

_We're where?_

_Good luck._

_No, Eddie… Eddie! You can't… you can't just leave us here. Max?_

…_Frikkin' Eddie_

That's when Liz noticed the cave. So the two of them went inside to check it out. Then, Liz felt someone grab her in the dark…

_What was that? Let me go!_

_Liz? Liz, where are you/i Quickly, Max created some light with his hand to see in the darkness of the cave._

_Let her go. Who are you?_

_You have passed the test._

River Dog knew, when Max created light with his hand, that he was one of the aliens, too. That was the test… to get him to "reveal" himself… or Liz to reveal herself. Up until that moment, actually, he had had no idea which one was the alien, if indeed either one was.

_I once knew someone like you. I didn't know where he came from or why he was here. He stayed pretty much to himself. He befriended me and everyone here. He began to trust me._

_Do you know where I can find him?_

_I haven't seen him for forty years. Besides me, the only man he trusted was Atherton. The man gave Atherton his necklace, the one you had._

_What happened to him?_

_Atherton was murdered._

_Who killed him?_

_The man killed him… I was too far away to see what happened, but when I reached them, Atherton was dead._

_When was this?_

_November, 1959… I have one more thing to show you. This way._

River Dog showed Max and Liz a drawing that the alien from 1959 drew on the cave wall.

_He said someday you would come._

Max looked at the drawing… _It seems familiar, like I know what it means, but I can't remember._

_He was afraid they were trying to kill him._

_Who was?_

_I don't know. He felt they were close to finding him, so he had to leave. I promised I would never share this information with anyone unless they passed the test._

_Has anyone else come? Has anyone passed?_

_No, no one._

_So this has some type of meaning. It's some kind of message for us. Maybe it's some type of warning. I don't know._

_It's time for you to leave._

_Can we come again?_

_I have completed my promise. There's nothing more I can tell you, nothing more you can learn._

And that was it… except for one final warning… not to Max, but to Liz…

_Make sure he deserves your trust._

River Dog wasn't sure whom to trust. But he had made a promise, and now he had honored that promise.

At the CrashDown, meanwhile, Maria was getting ever more frazzled waiting for news from Liz and Max…

_This is taking too long. They're in trouble… What are we supposed to do?_

_We wait._

_You know, Michael, now I know why Isabel left. You are obviously the last person to be around in a crisis._

_We were told to sit here and wait until they come back, alright? And that's what I'm doing. I'm not the one freaking out. You're freaking out._

_I am not freaking out. I just… I wish you would say something._

_Say what? What do you want me to say?_

_I don't know what. Just say something, you know, to make me feel calm, to make me feel like it's gonna be alright._

_Maybe it's not gonna be alright._

_Thanks, that helps a ton._

_What do you want me to do?_

_I don't know… You know, all I ask of you is just to try to make me feel better, you know, be a guy or whatever. Forget it. I have obviously tried to bark up the wrong tree._

Okay, never let it be said that Michael Guerin does not rise to the occasion. Maria wanted me to do something? She asked me to do something? She wanted me to make her forget about her worries? I could do that!

I reached over and kissed her.

_That was to calm you down._

_Thanks._

Maria reacted stoically to the whole thing… outwardly, at least. And me? I was Stonewall Guerin, totally in control. And who could see what I was thinking, anyway, right? _Yessss! Sweet n' spicy! I knew it! I would definitely trade the Tabasco for that condiment! Oh, oh! Core meltdown! Lips of pleasure! Tilt! Tilt! Tilt! Abandon all preconceptions! Going down! Nuclear heat wave!_

In stoic silence, we walked off in opposite directions. Someday I might even admit I liked it… our first kiss.

**End of Episode 106**

**tbc…**


	10. Ep 107 The Accomplices

**Codename: TABASCO**

(The Awesome Background And Secret Chronicles Of Michael Guerin)

Episode 107

**The Accomplices (Blood Brothers)**

Somebody once said that no man is an island. I don't recall who said it, offhand, but what they meant was that we all need others in some way or another, even those of us who think we never will. Having Liz and Maria on our side had worked out pretty well, I had to admit. But we weren't ready to let anyone else in on our secrets. Valenti had pretty much figured it out on his own, even if I hadn't exactly confirmed it in so many words. And he was pretty sure that Max was one, too. He couldn't make up his mind about Isabel, but there was that guilt by association thing, so he was watching her, too. He would have suspected Maria of being an alien if he hadn't been there when she was born and if he hadn't dated her mother, Amy, at one time. Amy had been a "flower child," of the 60's and early 70's type, but that didn't exactly make her an alien. Jim and Amy were pretty close… sometimes maybe a bit too close, he thought… like when she was mad and holding a handbag. At those times, the other side of town was too close. But he did like Amy… a lot. She had spunk. So did Topolsky. He admired that trait in both of them. Jim Valenti liked strong women. He was strong enough to handle them. But he was no pushover, and he knew a threat when he saw it. Topolsky was a threat. He would have no qualms about sending her packing if he needed to. Amy, on the other hand, was no threat. Well, except when she was mad and had a handbag. But Valenti could take the lumps. And Maria was no alien. Neither was Liz. He knew this well. But they did seem to be involved, in some way, with us, and Valenti was determined to know everything about those relationships.

I had given the sheriff just enough information to satisfy our agreement of mutual cooperation. I had no intention of filling him in on every aspect of my private life… or Maria's. So there was still a lot that he did not know about us. I wanted to keep our secrets tightly managed and known only to those who already knew them. But unexpected events were already conspiring to make that even more difficult than it already was. The aliens in a bottle, it seemed, were about to need help from a human… again.

With one of the teachers out for the day, Max decided to take Liz for a ride… to try to get away from all the alien-related problems for a while and just have a few moments of normality. Yeah… as if!

_It's the old highway. My dad used to take this when we drove to Albuquerque._

_I never even knew this place existed, Max._

_I just thought we should do something… you know… something normal, for once. Things have been so…_

_Yeah, I know, insane. Oh, my God. I love this song._

_Me, too._

Max and Liz both turned their attention to the song on the radio. It was one of those songs that has a way of making you forget that you have troubles… until trouble finds you and thumps you on the head, you know what I mean? _You trying to avoid me? Forget it, chump! I'm right here… riding on your shoulder… all the time._

A wild horse suddenly ran into the road, and Max veered and crashed the jeep into some bushes trying to keep from hitting it. When Liz lifted her head and looked at him, he was unconscious… and lying on the steering wheel.

_Max? Max? Oh, my God._

The genies really had tried to stay in their bottle. But now someone had dropped the bottle, and it had shattered into a million pieces. Whether or not it could ever be put back together again would have to be seen.

_Blood pressure 124 over 84._

_How do you feel… Ringing? Any buzzing?_

_No, I'm fine. Is he going to be alright?_

_We can't know for sure, but his vital signs are good. Nurse, have someone contact his parents right away. Get him on a monitor. We need some blood tests. Get me a CBC and a spot 12. And draw blood for a trauma panel._

At school, Maria was accusing me of avoiding her, because I didn't have much to talk about and was late to class. Then the call came through on her cell phone…

_You and Max were in an accident?_

Now I had something to talk about. I grabbed the phone… _What the hell's going on?_

You remember what I said about trouble finding you and tapping on your shoulder? Well, forget that! It hauled off and slugged me upside the head. The principal found out about the accident, and she told Topolsky. And Agent Topolsky turned around and called Agent Moss…

_Get to the hospital NOW! We might have an opportunity._

Meanwhile, Isabel, Maria, and I rushed to the hospital, and after charming a nurse named Susan into letting us in to see Max, I started looking around for the blood sample they had taken from him. Isabel saw Agent Moss come in through a back door and knew that he was looking for it, too. Fortunately, I found it first, and I palmed it. I was gonna just let Moss keep looking for it, but I happened to spy another sample nearby. It wasn't blood, and it wasn't Max's. It was yellow and in a little cup. One of the nurses had set it down momentarily and gone off to look for something. Anyway, I grabbed an empty blood vial and poured some of the mystery sample from the cup into the empty vial. Then I waved my hand over it and turned it red and stuck Max's name on it. _Let 'em figure that out._ I watched as Moss found the vial and quickly left the hospital with it. I think I ought to let Kathleen tell you what happened next… 'Cause she tells it so well…

"No, what you mean, Michael, is you want to sit there and laugh your ass off, like you always do when I tell it."

Well, it's funny! So sue me!

"Sue Rath? On Antar? Really Michael!" Kathleen smiled just a bit. "Okay, I admit it, it is funny now. But it wasn't then… not to me… or to Agent Moss. Stevens called us both into his office to discuss Max's blood sample…"

"Did you find anything unusual?"

"Unusual? Nooooo! He's PREGNANT, you imbeciles! You brought me a urine sample… from a pregnant WOMAN!

I felt my senses reel, and I had to find a place to sit down. Moss just stood there, his mouth flapping like a fish out of water but nothing coming out.

"Are you s-s-sure you tested the right sample?" I asked.

Stevens glared at me. I guess he was sure.

I shrugged. "Well, he is an alien… isn't he?"

"Agent Topolsky! If you failed to get the blood sample, I would think that you would be professional enough to admit that you failed… not try to pass off a… from a pregnant…"

Steven's voice failed him momentarily.

"But the sample was red," Agent Moss managed to croak, "Not yellow."

Stevens took a deep breath and tried to relax his already pulsing neck veins. "You put something in it… the lab couldn't identify what it was. It seems to be a derivative of Tabasco sauce. Idiots! You couldn't even get real blood! If you were trying to put something over on me in order to save your butts it's not going to work. I should have the two of you drummed out of the agency, but unfortunately I still need you. Find that blood sample… or get me another one… this time, the real one, agents, from the real subject, Max Evans, not from a… a… a… I can't even say it. You are both this close to leaving the agency under unfavorable circumstances. Do you understand what I'm saying, agents? Being removed… with extreme prejudice."

"I'm all over it, sir!"

"You'd better be, Topolsky! Now get out of here!"

Agent Moss and I hurried out of Stevens' office. I had never seen Stevens this angry before.

"I hope you can follow through on that promise, Agent Topolsky," Moss said to me outside, "Because the alternative won't be pleasant for either of us."

I nodded. "I know. Getting drummed out of the agency would really screw up my résumé."

Moss looked at me like I was a moron… and I guess I was, knowing what I know now. "No, Agent Topolsky, it will not look good on your résumé. _Agent Kathleen Topolsky… Deceased. Cause: Classified._ 'Removed with extreme prejudice,' Agent Topolsky, means removed permanently… very permanently."

I closed my eyes and swallowed hard. I wanted to argue that we don't do things like that here, but deep inside I knew… This was a secret unit… a "special" unit… meaning we didn't exist as far as most others, even within the FBI itself, knew. We were outside the pale of accepted norms… outside the boundaries of accountability. We were renegades in our own system, even if we considered it to be for a good cause. There is no protection for those of us who are out on the limb… especially if we're stupid enough to saw that limb off while we're sitting on it. Of course, Michael did help with that.

"It was all for a good cause, Kathleen… saving our asses."

Kathleen nodded ever so slightly and then smiled in spite of the memories. "Well, at the time, I would have liked to have landed on top of you when that limb fell, Michael. But now… I'm thankful to you and Max… and the rest of you… for giving me a chance for a new life… a good life… here with you… and Jim. I didn't know it then, but my time was already up and the clock was ticking off the final minutes. If it hadn't been this case that ended it, it would have been something else. It's not the kind of unit you just resign from. There are too many secrets you take with you."

I knew what she meant. And I was actually glad that Kathleen was here on Antar now… and on our side… never more so than a couple of years back, when we found out that the Ghors had kidnapped all our children and were selling them. Kathleen kicked Ghor butt! I was glad we had our own FBI agent then… and one with a great kick at that!

"Michael!"

"Yeah, Jim?"

"Just for the record, Kathleen does have one hell of a kick. I seem to remember almost getting a concussion myself once when I was sheriff. But it wasn't a kick that put Hosk in the hospital. Kath was aiming for his stomach… with her fist. Hosk never was as bright as a 15-watt light bulb, and when he saw her fist coming, he puffed his chest out and pulled himself up to his full 9-foot height. That made Kath's punch fall a little low, to his regret. Anyway, it was all caught on film by a Xarian news team. After that, especially for the first year or so, everywhere we went, we were stopped by people wanting her autograph… or just wanting to hug her. She didn't actually get the kids back all by herself. All of you guys… all of us did. But she was like this symbol for what everybody on Antar wanted to do to Hosk. And she actually did it."

I've still got that video clip, Jim. It was a great moment. I think everybody on Antar has it. It was a great seller for a long time… still is. I think when I get back to the house, I'm going to watch it again. Getting back to the story, though… I knew that the FBI would try again to get some of Max's blood. The only question was how… and when. I had successfully palmed the real sample, which I got rid of… permanently… with extreme prejudice. But we decided that we needed to give the FBI something or they'd never stop trying. We had to give them a real blood sample, but not from one of us. It had to be human. So Isabel turned to Liz…

_We can take some of your blood, Liz._

_It can't be mine. They can tell male from female blood._

_Then we need to find a guy._

"Alex!" Isabel and Maria both said at once, looking at each other.

I still wish I could have been there to see Alex's face when Liz told him she and Maria needed his blood. He must have thought he'd finally discovered what they were hiding… they were vampires! Come to think of it, we should have told Kyle we were vampires back at the motel when he popped in and kept demanding to know what we were all up to. He probably would have believed it with all the crap that had been going on! _Just stand still Kyle and lean your head over a bit this way… Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh! _Yeah, that's what we should have done!

"Funny, Guerin! Ha! Ha!"

I'm glad you agree, Kyle. Anyway, Alex was definitely, um, lacking enthusiasm for the idea of being a blood donor… especially since the girls wouldn't tell him what it was for. But I have to give him credit, he came through for us… not happily, but, hey! He came through! Isabel drew the blood, then back at the hospital, I replaced the vial I had taken earlier with the one with Alex's blood in it and put Max's name on it again using a little special alien "voodoo" to redo the bar code and name just like they had been.

In the waiting room, Alex was still demanding to know why we needed to replace Max's blood with his. He suspected all kinds of things. But I doubt he ever considered aliens as one of the possibilities. Liz was trying to calm him down…

_Alex, wait…_

_I've been waiting, Liz. And apparently I'm not going to get an explanation._

_It's complicated, okay?_

_No, no… It's not okay, Liz. None of this is okay._

_Alex, look, you've gotta trust me._

_What is it… drugs? Is that what this is? You and Max go out for a drive, he gets wasted, almost kills you both. That's what I'm covering for, isn't it?_

_Alex…_

_You can't use Michael's blood because he's just as high. So who do you call? You call on your buddy, Alex… stupid, straight Alex who does everything you say 'cause he's such a loyal friend that you lie to and you use whenever you can._

_It's not true._

_Then tell me the truth, Liz… for once._

_You're right. It's drugs._

Well, that did get Alex to stop asking… for the moment… but Isabel wasn't too thrilled when Max told her what Liz had said. She just groaned…

_Great. That'll be a lot easier to explain to Mom and Dad. Let's go. Mom's waiting in the car._

Max and Isabel left with their parents, but as Maria and I were getting into Maria's car, Maria remembered that she'd left her purse on the table in Max's hospital room, and her keys were in the purse. I told her to go ahead and get in and I'd get the purse and keys. When I went back in Max's room, I saw this shadow that looked like someone searching for something behind the curtain, so I pulled open the curtain. It was Agent Moss and another agent disguised as medics, and they were looking through the trash.

_Forgot her purse,_ I said, holding up the purse.

"How do you know they weren't medics," Isabel asked… when we were back at the house.

_I'm telling you, it was the same guy… the one that followed me into the CrashDown the other night. He was going through the garbage. And the other guy, the one I saw looking for blood, he was going through Max's charts._

_There's nothing for them to find,_ Max said.

_This time. But this is the closest call we've ever had._

Max looked contrite. _I'm sorry._

_It wasn't your fault, Max,_ Isabel said, shaking her head.

I nodded in agreement. _I didn't say that. But somebody's closing in on us. And unless we do something about it…_

_The only thing we can do is run,_ Isabel said, finishing my sentence.

I shook my head. _No, that's not true. We can figure them out before they figure us out._

Whoa! had I just said that? Me? Michael Guerin? The guy who wanted to leave Roswell forever when Max healed Liz? I just realized that at some point I had undergone a radical change in perspective. It must be this Avenger persona, I thought to myself. It's giving me a different outlook. Then I shook my head. No… it was having Maria and Liz on our side. It was trusting in somebody. They gave me a feeling of belonging, especially Maria… a feeling like we should fight for what we had. At least, we didn't have to give up and just run.

_This is already so out of control, Michael, and you just wanna make it worse?_

_I wanna know my enemy. That's the only chance we'll ever have._

Later that night, Agent Topolsky met with Moss and asked him about the new blood sample he had snatched. He had had it tested himself this time… before giving it to Stevens… just to be sure.

_It came back normal. I think something might've happened._

_What do you mean?_

_Well, there were five of them… and they kept coming in and out of his room a lot._

_Doing what?_

_I'm not sure. But they brought another one in… tall kid, kind of wiry._

_Alex!_

_I think they switched blood samples._

We really hadn't realized that the FBI might figure out where the sample came from and come down hard on Alex to try to make him talk. We had only figured on a little blood being his sole contribution. But Topolsky called him in and pretended to already know what he had done and why he had done it. She did everything short of threatening to have him arrested if he didn't talk, though she didn't phrase it that way. She was trying to get him on her side by making him think that we were using him. She even slipped something into his drink that made his nose start bleeding, then she followed him and slipped into the men's room after he had left so she could get the bloody towels and have his blood compared to the blood in the vial Moss had stolen from the hospital. I remember thinking later, after we found out that Topolsky was FBI, that it was a really good thing that we hadn't told Alex anything. He couldn't tell the FBI what he didn't know, right? But looking back on it now, I wonder. At least, if he had known what he was doing for us and what he was up against, he could have defended himself… made up some kind of logical excuse or something.

We didn't really know, yet, that Topolsky was FBI. She was still pretending to be the school guidance counselor. But we knew that the first thing we needed to do was find out everything we could about whoever was onto us. So we decided to check out this Moss guy and find out who he was working with. Max and Liz pretended to window shop and then walked into the UFO center, letting him follow them around for a while to be sure that he really was following them. Maria, Isabel, and I were waiting outside the UFO center to tail him when we came out. Maria was driving.

_Not too close,_ I said.

_Relax. God, you guys act like I've never tailed someone before._

Maria started to drive out in reverse, and Isabel grinned…

_Subtle, he'll never notice us going backwards._

We followed Moss to the motel where he was staying and waited for him to leave again so we could check out his room. Waiting was not our strong suit, but finally, our impatience paid off. I told Maria to act as a lookout with Isabel, which didn't sit too well with Maria. She wanted to come in and search the room with me. I told her to keep looking out the window, but she had other ideas.

_You know, this is the second time you've dragged me to some cheap motel._

_Yeah, well, don't spread it around. You'll ruin my reputation._

_What exactly are you looking for?_

_ID maybe… something to tell us about this guy?_

_Luggage tags?_

_No tags._

_You know, Michael, uh, toiletries say a lot about a man, which, by the way, you should take note of, but I'm guessing you will have more luck by the phone. You know… notepads, messages, that sort of thing._

_Just keep looking out the window, would you?_

_Listen… any babysitter worth her salt knows that the best place to look is in the garbage can. It's always revealing._

_Moss. His name's Moss,_ I said.

_First name or last name?_

_I don't know._

_Keep looking, Sherlock… What? What is it?_

_Looks like a phone number… local._

Maria picked up the phone and dialed the number.

_What are you doing?_

_You want to find out who's on the other end of the line, don't you?_

_Topolsky. Hello?_

Maria hung up the phone quickly, looking like she'd seen a ghost.

_That was Ms. Topolsky… Ms. Topolsky, as in school Ms. Topolsky. Alright, either she's taking her job way too seriously, or she's not exactly a guidance counselor. _

So now we knew. Topolsky was more than she was pretending to be. This was serious. There was no way of knowing what she might have found out about us or how much damage had already been done. But we had to stop her… soon. So we concocted a plan to out her.

_Thanks for coming, Alex._

_Hi, Liz. I've met you here at the CrashDown a thousand times, but it just doesn't feel the same. You know?_

_Yeah. I know. Alex. You've been my friend since Ms. Elmer's class in the fifth grade._

_No, no, no. We actually met in fourth, but you didn't notice me till fifth._

_Yes, and I've come to you with every problem I've ever had._

_Until now._

_No, even now. What happened at that hospital with Max, that was like the most important thing I ever had to do in my life. And I called you. Alex, this is the hardest thing I have ever asked anyone to do. Look, I need you… I need you to believe in me, even though I can't… I can't tell you what you want to know._

_Because of Max._

_No, forget Max, Alex. This is between us. Look, I told you before this was complicated. Well, maybe it's not. There is a right side, and there is a wrong side. And if you choose the wrong side right now, Alex, something really terrible is gonna happen… to all of us. I am begging you, Alex. If five years of friendship have meant anything to you, please trust me. I swear to you, I am on the right side._

888888888888888

Alex knocked on Topolsky's door and went into her office.

_I've thought about what you said, and I'm not worried about me right now. It's Liz. Look. If… if I do this, if I give you what you want, what happens to her? I mean, what… what do your friends do?_

_She'll be questioned. They'll probably want to do some medical tests to make sure she wasn't harmed in any way._

_But no… no police, right?_

_No._

_But if… if they're involved in drugs then… It is drugs, isn't it?_

_Just write down everything that happened at the hospital, and we'll take it from there._

At that moment, Liz knocked on Topolsky's door.

_Is something wrong, Liz?_

_Can I see you for a second, Ms. Topolsky… privately? It's really important._

_I'll be right back, Alex. You can go ahead and start that project we were talking about._

_So, Liz, what's the emergency?_

_Look, I don't know what Alex has been telling you, but there is something you should know._

_I'm listening._

_It's just that, uh, Alex… he's sort of changed all of a sudden. I don't know. It's like… like he's paranoid or something. See, we've been friends forever, and this year I have made some new friends, and I just think that… that he's feeling a little hurt. Has he ever said anything to you about this at all?_

_Liz, you know I can't discuss my counseling sessions with other students. That wouldn't be right._

_Yeah, I know. I understand that. It's just that I'm afraid that he might be saying some things to you that… that could really hurt somebody._

_We both know Alex. I think we can trust that he'll do the right thing, don't you?_

_But you don't understand his state of mind right now._

_Let's let Alex speak for himself, okay? Now I really should get back to him._

_No, wait. Ms. Topolsky, wait! I mean… can't we just talk about this some more?_

Topolsky turned and stared at Liz, and the look on her face told Liz that she had figured out what was going on. The charade was over. Liz was keeping her out of her office while Alex… while Alex what? Topolsky rushed back into her office. Alex was sitting at her desk with her laptop open in front of him. He slowly turned it around so that she and Liz could both see the screen… and the logo of the FBI and Department of Justice. Topolsky had been outed. For her, this assignment was over.

888888888888888

"You know, Michael, a thought occurred to me."

"What's that?"

"When the sheriff calls me into his office this time and accuses me of being your accomplice… he'll be right."

"He won't know about the motel."

"Yeah, well, all the same, I am your accomplice now. I'm in over my head."

"You can always get out."

"Not on your life!"

I smiled. "If Valenti asks you anything, just act dumb."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Suddenly, red flashing lights were going off in my mind. I knew I was stepping onto thin ice, and I had to judge my next words very carefully…

"You know… pretend you don't know anything. If I can do it, you can do it."

"Oh."

"Or better yet, just use some of that Maria gobbledygook on him. He won't know what hit him."

"Maria Gobbledygook?"

"Yeah, you know, the way you talk when you get all excited… no one can figure out what you're saying."

"Is that what you think, Michael… I'm an airhead?"

"I didn't say that. Actually, it's kind of brilliant… in its own way. I never knew anyone else who could do that before I met you. You're… unique."

"Yeah? Well, I would say the same about you, but since there aren't that many aliens running around here, I guess that's kind of obvious. There aren't, are there?"

"What?"

"A lot of other aliens running around out there."

"Not that I know of. So you think I'm… unique?"

Maria didn't answer, she just planted a long kiss on my lips and then grinned. "I don't do that to every alien I meet."

**End of Episode 107**

**tbc…**


	11. Ep 108 Burning For You

Codename: TABASCO MG 

(The Awesome Background And Secret Chronicles Of Michael Guerin)

**Episode 108**

**Burning For You (Heat Wave)**

December 2nd, 1999. That was the date. Definitely! I remember it like it was yesterday. There was this weird December heat wave. Okay, I admit it. I do have some pretty good reasons to remember it… that was the day Maria and I started to get, uh, close.

Maria was cleaning up downstairs in the CrashDown, and I looked in through the window at her. She was kind of dancing around and sweating from the heat, and that got me feeling the heat, too, you know what I mean? Anyway, Maria opened the door for me and I came in. We started kissing and I guess maybe the windows got a little steamed up. I think Liz was studying upstairs or something. She got thirsty from the heat and came downstairs looking for something to drink, and she hears noises, so she peeks into the restaurant and sees Maria and me on the counter…

What's that, Zorel? I was helping your mama reach some boxes… of cereal… or something. I don't remember. Anyway, as I was saying…

What? Yeah, what else would I be doin' on the counter… with your mama!? Are you gonna listen to the story or sit there grinning and letting your imagination run away? They all know what I was doing… helping your mama reach… something. I don't remember what. Anyway, it was like 90 degrees outside… in the shade, and we were… trying to reach something… whatever… up on the counter.

The next day, at school, Maria and I got together again in the janitor's closet…

We were looking for chalk, Zorel! For Pete's sake, go swimming or something! Yes, on earth they do keep chalk in the janitor's closet… I think.

Where was I? Oh! There was this girl that Kyle had started dating, Vicky Delaney, and she invited Liz to this, uh… party… at the old soap factory. Kyle tried to tell Liz that she shouldn't go, but Liz said she wanted to. Then Liz told Maria about it and Maria told me about it. In the end, even Max was there… and Isabel… and Alex! And that was kind of a miracle itself, because Alex wasn't talking to Liz or Maria after giving his blood and all and then nobody would tell him what was going on. But as I was saying before… There was this weird heat wave, and it seemed like the whole town just got… hot… in more ways than one. Amy was even talking to Sheriff Valenti again. She showed up at school because Topolsky had wanted to talk to her, then Topolsky blew the town after she got outted and Amy was ticked off because she had taken time off to come in and then Topolsky wasn't there. But she found Valenti there and they talked a little and he made this joke about was she stayin' out of the slammer lately…

_Oh, very amusing._

Then later, Valenti came into the CrashDown and found Amy there trying to sell Jeff Parker these alien head cocktail stirrers. And they started talkin' again…

_Sheriff! Uh…_

_Hi! I stopped by your shop. They told me you were here._

_Oh! Nothing's wrong?_

_No, nothing's wrong. It's just, uh… Amy, listen, about what happened. It's just, uh… I realize it was a long time ago, and I just want to make sure that you know that… I was just doing my job._

_Oh, yeah. Well, I appreciate the sentiment, Sheriff, but it did scar me for life and all, so…_

_You were breaking the law. You were stopping honest, hard-working people from doing their jobs._

_Those honest, hard-working people were destroying a 200-year-old piece of native American architecture… raping our town of its history._

_Amy, the native Americans wanted that thing torn down more than anybody._

_That's not the point._

_Well, it is kind of the point._

_There were more than twenty of us out there that day. I was eighteen, naïve, clueless. Why did you pick on me?_

_'Cause you were cute._

_Cute?_

_You were wearing cowboy boots and a little skirt. Well, I had to arrest somebody, so…_

_Well, I don't know what to say. I'm outraged. I am now outraged. You are looking at an outraged woman. Sorry… it must be the heat._

_I just, uh… I just wanted to apologize. It's good to see you again, Amy_.

Yeah, I know, it wasn't me and Maria, but hey! We're talkin' the sheriff here… Valenti. You have to take everything in perspective. For him, that was ssssizzlin'. Ow! Watch it, Jim! That almost hit me!

There was one place in Roswell, though, where there was no heat wave. In fact, more of a cold front. Alex Whitman. Alex wasn't talking to Liz or Maria, as I said before…

_Alex! Alex please wait. Will you just give me a chance?_

_What, Liz?_

_Let's just try and talk._

_What do you want from me? More blood? A urine sample? How about my kidney?_

Then Isabel decided to dream walk him, and she found out that he thought of her as, like, his dream girl or something, so she sweet talked him into goin' to the rave at the soap factory with her… to try to warm him up a little.

Meanwhile, Liz saw Maria in the girl's bathroom wearing a turtleneck sweater.

_Maria, it's 105 degrees outside, and you're wearing a turtleneck! …What is going on here? You and Michael. Kyle and Vicky. Ms. Hardy and Mr. Krewlick._

And Max was on my case about being with Maria… But I wasn't backing down this time…

_I hate to tell you this, Max, but when I have urges, you're not exactly the first person I think about._

_Yeah, I realize that, but the point is, we can't let things spin out of control. I mean, sure, it starts as a kiss…_

_It's more than that._

_How much more?_

_I don't know, Max. It feels so wrong, but it feels so good._

I set Max up… then Liz gave him the double whammy. Because he was feelin' hot for her, too, but he'd been trying to act cool and all. So Liz hit him with me and Maria…

_Max, you know when you said before that we couldn't be together… that we were different? I just sort of accepted it, you know? Because I thought that it was, like, physically impossible… that it… that it couldn't be. But when I saw Maria with Michael… the truth is that… I was hurt, Max. Why is it okay for them, but it's not okay for us?_

Yeah, see? Everybody thinks Max and Liz hit it off first, but it was me and Maria… well, except for him saving Liz's life after she got shot. But Maria and I got into the… uh, the heat wave… before they did. I know, Maria and I had our little differences at the time. She wanted us to talk and have this visible relationship, and I wanted… a more private relationship. But we both agreed on one thing… we had the passion… in the janitor's closet, the eraser room, empty class rooms…

Passion… that's a… a classic novel, Zorel. We, uh, we had to read it… together… for an assignment.

So, anyway, moving along here, the rave at the soap factory ended with the sheriff bustin' up the party and arresting some people for trespassing. These two jerks that were workin' the sound system handed Liz and Alex each a bottle of liquor when the sheriff showed up and said here, hold this. So Liz and Alex got busted holdin' a bottle of liquor in their hands before they knew what had happened. That got Alex pretty hot… not in the same way as the rest of us. In jail, he threatened to tell Valenti everything, and Liz knew he was dead serious this time…

_…I'm done. I'm done protecting you… or her, or anyone else you're associated with. 'Cause I'm telling Sheriff Valenti everything… verbatim… about replacing Max's blood at the hospital, discovering Topolsky was FBI… Everything!_

_No, look, look, Alex… look… listen to me. You had just… you should just know all of the facts before you do something like this._

_Well, I thought you said it wasn't your secret to tell._

_Alex, the reason that Isabel did whatever it is that she did is not that she's low, she's just… she's scared._

_Scared._

_Yes._

_Scared of what?_

_She… she's scared of being different._

_Oh, come on. Save it._

_Alex… Max and Michael and Isabel, they're different from us. They're different from us in a way that, if the wrong people found out, they would be in a lot of trouble._

_I know the whole drugs thing is a load of crap, Liz. I mean, why would the FBI be so interested in three kids into drugs?_

_No, Alex, listen to me. This doesn't have anything to do with drugs. Alex… Max, Michael, and Isabel… they aren't from around here._

_Where are they from? …What? Like, Wyoming? …Oh… okay, fine. Canada. They're Canucks. So what… you're saying the FBI is all over them because they're like… illegal aliens?_

_Yeah, sort of. Listen, Alex… they're from somewhere else._

_Liz, what are you talking about?_

_God, there isn't any way for me to say this, but to just… but to just say this, okay? Look, Alex… they think they were in the 1947 crash. Okay, they were like in these incubation pods for a really long time… like forty years, and they came out in, like, the form of humans… and now all of these people suspect them. That's why Topolsky's here… and that's why Valenti arrested us… and that's why we're here… because he knows that I'm involved. I'm really sorry, Alex, but… you're involved, too._

_Liz, are you okay?_

_Alex… you don't even understand. The past few months have been like absolute torture lying to you. I will never, ever, lie to you again, I promise_.

Fortunately, by the time Valenti came to get Alex to interrogate him, Liz had convinced him of her sincerity… if not that we were aliens…

_Whitman! Sleep all right? What say we go down to my office?_

_No… Right here. I'm ready to talk._

_Alright. I want to know what your involvement is with Liz, Max, Michael, and Isabel. And I want to know what happened with Ms. Topolsky._

_I'm ready to talk about the fact that I'm a kid. I'm sixteen years old. I'm a sophomore in high school, so what could I possibly have to do with a teacher leaving? What does any of this have to do with you, anyway?_

_I'm just doing my job, son._

_I was at a party! And my only wish was that, while I was there, I engaged in some sort of depraved activity, like drinking or sex, but I didn't. I didn't break any laws._

_Everybody who was at that party was trespassing on private property, and both of you were minors in possession of alcohol._

_This has nothing to do with that party, does it? Sheriff, I want out of here… right now. I demand it, or I'm going to get a lawyer and I'm going to sue for abusive treatment of a minor. I may be sixteen, but I know my rights._

Alex did it. He got them released. Valenti knew he wasn't going to get anything. He'd have to wait for me to tell him the whole story… if I ever did.

_Alex, you were amazing._

_Well, yeah… Yeah, I was, Liz._

_Uh, so… um, how do you feel? You know, about what I said?_

_Well, part of me, uh… part of me feels like you've gone insane, and the other part of me feels like I want some of the massive doses of hallucinogens you've obviously been taking. But I don't believe in aliens._

_Neither did I… You don't believe me, do you?_

_I believe that you believe. Leave it at that._

_Okay._

_Get home safe._

_You, too._

_See you at school._

And you know what? I was a good influence on Max! Because he went over to see Liz, and they finally got it on… the passion bit… even though the heat wave was over. Well, not the whole heat wave. Just the weather one. All those little fires that got ignited just kept growing… Maria and me… Max and Liz… Isabel and Alex… Kyle… um, well, not all of us maybe. Vicky Delaney didn't last. But chalk one up for the aliens… and especially for the Avenger and his girl. We were the first!

**End of Episode 108**

**tbc…**

Huh? Yeah, Zorel, I think Max and Liz did finally read the whole book.


	12. Ep 109 Wild Fires

Codename: TABASCO MG 

(The Awesome Background And Secret Chronicles Of Michael Guerin)

**Episode 109**

**Wild Fires (The Balance)**

Alright, here's the thing, see. Max and Liz, back then, they had this kind of love that was like a… a gas grill, you might say, with a flame control knob and everything. They were trying to keep it on low simmer and pretend like they could keep it that way. Once they experimented with the heat levels, though, they kind of turned it up on high and left it there. But the point is, in the beginning, they were trying to control their feelings for each other all the time. Me and Maria… we were like a wild fire. We didn't have any control. Uh… knob… knob, I mean… You know what I mean. We just burned bright and hard. But you see, what happens with wild fires is then someone comes along and dumps a lot of cold water on them. That's kind of what happened to us. The sad thing is… looking back now with 20/20 hindsight and all that, you know, I guess I'm the one that threw the water on it. But I wasn't trying to put it out… or even tone it down. I was just trying to keep it under wraps… not out in public. Problem is, wild fires don't stay under wraps very well. And that was okay with Maria, 'cause, see, that's the way she wanted it… out in public for everyone to see. But I was still hung up with this 'hide the aliens' mentality. So we had what you call this failure to see eye to… irreconcilable… well, whatever. Anyway, we weren't getting along really great all of a sudden. I already knew it. I was the one that told Maria that we would be better off apart. But I didn't mean it. I don't know what I meant. I was just stubborn, I guess…

Oh, yeah! Now you agree, huh, Maria!

Yeah, well, okay, I admit it. I had a little… tiny… microscopic… trace of a stubborn streak back then. Not now, of course. But Maria, she could be pretty stubborn back then, too. We had both said some things that we didn't really mean. Anyway, I knew for sure that the train had derailed when Max and I went over to the CrashDown, and Maria was there…

_Well, if it isn't Prince Charming and Quasimodo._

Maria seemed aloof as Liz got a drink for Max… _Max likes cherry cola. What does Michael like?_

_Cherry cola with arsenic?_

I guess Max kind of figured out that there was a chill in the wind. Maybe Maria's little alien doll with all the pins stuck in it was a clue. I had to tell Max that we kind of broke up… me and Maria.

_What? Why didn't you tell me?_

_Look, I don't… I'm not sure if we did or didn't. I mean, it's confusing._

Liz brought Max his drink… _Cherry cola… on the house._

And Maria brought me mine… _Yours is $1.25._

I nodded. _Guess it's not really confusing anymore, is it?_

Yep! Wild fires! They burn really hot until they get a good dousing. I got up and started to leave and accidentally spilled my drink; then, in all the commotion, our books got knocked onto the floor and I saw this paper with hieroglyphic symbols on it in Max's notebook… the same symbols I had seen before in my mind.

_What's this?_

_Put that away!_

Later, at Max's house, we talked about the hieroglyphs, and Max said that they were from River Dog's cave… that he had drawn them from memory. I knew then that I had to see them. So I went to the Mesaliko Reservation… behind Max's back.

_I'm looking for somebody named River Dog… RIVER DOG._

_She's not deaf… She's just not answering you. My name's Eddie. Who are you?_

_Well, Eddie, I'm somebody looking for River Dog._

_He's busy… in the tent. It's a sacred ritual. You can't go in unless somebody invites you._

_So invite me._

_It's a sweat. It's a spiritual cleansing. It's intense._

_If that's where he is, then that's where I want to go._

Eddie led me into the tent, and I saw this old man chanting.

_Is that River Dog?_

_Don't worry, he knows you're here. No talking right now. Just follow the chant._

We both drank water from a bowl that was passed around. Then River Dog threw something into the fire that made it crackle and spark like it was alive or something. That was pretty much it. Trouble is, after wasting all that time at the "sweat," I still hadn't got to talk to River Dog about what I had come to see him for, and I knew I had to get back to the CrashDown or Max was going to figure out where I was. I didn't want to have to deal with that right now.

Back in town, meanwhile, Alex was becoming a believer in aliens, thanks to Isabel.

_Okay, then let's just say it were possible, alright? Why on earth would… excuse the phrase… Why would you be sent here to begin with? I mean, what purpose could you possibly have?_

_To wipe out the world, one annoying teenager at a time._

_Sorry._

_I don't know. When we came out of these pods, we looked just like normal kids. We've never been anything else but what you see. No green skin, no antennas. We have emotions, we feel pain, and we probably have more questions about ourselves than you do. I mean, haven't you ever felt different from everybody else? Like if you tried to reveal your true self to someone, they just would never understand._

_Yeah._

_Well, that's what it's like to be us. We're just as human as you are, Alex… only we can manipulate the molecular structure of things._

_What?_

Isabel illustrated by turning Alex's catsup into mustard.

I think that's about when I started to feel ill. It was a feeling I had never felt before, because, see, we didn't get sick… ever. But my temperature just started going up really high and I started to sweat all over. Maria was the first one to notice. She had been ignoring me, but when I started looking ill, she noticed immediately. She put her hand on mine, and then she freaked…

"Omigod! Omigod! Michael's burning up!"

Isabel rushed over and put her hand on my forehead. Her look told Maria more than words could have. Quickly, Maria fumbled for her purse then pulled out the little alien doll and began hurriedly removing the pins from it. I have to tell you, it took a while to get them all out… and that girl has a real imagination!

"I'm sorry, Michael! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!"

Isabel looked puzzled. "Maria, what are you doing?"

"Taking the curse off. I didn't think it would really work."

"That's not doing it, Maria!"

"How do you know?"

"Because it's just a stupid doll!"

Isabel took the doll and threw it across the room, and Maria ran out of the CrashDown. When she came back, she had Max and Liz with her. They had gone out for a bite to eat together… kind of a big date. Anyway, Max found me on the floor, with Isabel holding my head in her lap.

_Something's wrong, Max. He's really sick._

They gave me some water, and I started to feel better, so of course I insisted that I was okay and said I just wanted to go home. Max offered to drive me.

_We're leaving now, Alex. You need a ride?_ Isabel asked, turning to Alex.

Alex shook his head. _What I really need is a sedative._

After we were gone and things seemed to have settled down again, Maria prodded Liz about her big "date" with Max.

_I don't think that we should talk about it, Maria._

_Are you kidding? We have to talk about it! We're the only two people in this world capable of having this conversation!_

_That we know of._

_Don't complicate things, okay? Who wants to go first? Fine, I'll start, I'll start. It was… explosive._

_Yeah. Uh, that's a really good word._

_Right?_

_Okay._

Maria thought a moment. _It was like every cell in my body felt the same cell in his and started heating up,_

Liz nodded. _And I got really dizzy. Did you get dizzy?_

_I get dizzy just thinking about it._

_Ok, you know, like, all of that time that I spent with Kyle… I didn't have any of those feelings that I did when I was with Max. What about you?_

_Doug Sohn in the eighth grade?_

_Yeah?_

_Amateur. Michael is the real thing._

_Okay, now, here is the big question. Do you think that we feel like this just because of the fact that they're like…_

_Oh, their non-human status?_

_Right._

_What if they've like ruined it for us with anyone else?_

_Yeah._

_Leave it to Michael to just wreak havoc on the rest of my life, even though he wants no part of it._

I wasn't there at the time to hear their conversation. I only got the details later… a LOT later! But see, the thing about wild fires is that even if you douse them good, they can still pop back up, because they just keep smoldering beneath the surface. It's hard to really stamp them out. Maria still cared about me!

What Liz and Maria couldn't have known at the time was that it wasn't over… the fever, I mean. Well, Maria and me either. Max and I were in the UFO Center when it hit me again… and this time it hit me like a ton of bricks. I started calling for Max…

_I'm here, Michael… I'm here._

I looked at Max, and my eyes were cloudy white. As soon as Max saw them, he told me to keep them closed. He didn't want to draw any more attention than we already had. Someone yelled to call an ambulance, but Max said that I got really bad migraines and that he would take care of me. Then he took me to the CrashDown and sneaked in through the back door. Maria saw Max come in and immediately asked about me…

_Michael. Is he okay?_

_Does he look okay to you?_ Isabel asked.

_What's wrong with him?_

_How should I know? Nothing like this has ever happened before._

They took me upstairs and stuck a thermometer in my mouth, but it only went up to 112.

_We're gonna need some ice and towels. We need to cool him down,_ Maria said.

That's when I started to chant or something.

_What's he saying?_ Isabel asked.

Max shook his head. _I don't… I don't know. It's some kind of chant. Michael, can you hear me? What are you saying? What are you trying to tell us? Michael, it's me… Max. Please let me help you._

I stared at Max with white eyes and just whispered _River Dog._

On the Mesaliko Indian reservation, Liz and Max weren't finding Eddie to be very helpful this time.

_You're not welcome here anymore._

_We just want to find out what happened._

_You told someone what you found here! River Dog is really angry!_

_It is really important that we talk to him about what he did to Michael._

_He tested him. Your friend didn't pass._

_What do you mean?_

_That's all I know._

_That's not enough. I want to know exactly what River Dog did to him._

_He wants nothing to do with you. You betrayed his trust, and that's something he won't forgive._

_I don't want forgiveness. I want answers before my friend dies,_ Max said insistently.

_Michael's really sick, Eddie,_ Liz added _And we don't know what to do. We need River Dog._

_I'm sorry, but he's gone._

_I'm waiting here until he comes back,_ Max said flatly.

Back in town, Maria brought Isabel a plate of food and a bottle of Tabasco sauce, as they watched over me…

_I care about him, too, you know._

_I know you do, Maria. But Max and Michael are all I have… and if I lose them…_

At that moment, I started to convulse and began chanting softly. At the same time, on the reservation, Liz and Max heard chanting nearby and went to check it out.

_Max! That's what Michael's been saying over and over._

_It's coming from that tent._

They peeked into the tent and saw Indians passing a bowl around.

_What are they doing, Max?_

_I'm not sure. But maybe what's happening to Michael isn't natural at all._

That's when River Dog suddenly appeared. He told them to bring me to him right away… that there wasn't much time. When Max and Liz got back to the CrashDown, I was covered with this weird webbing. They rushed me to River Dog, and Maria, Isabel, and Alex went along.

_Man who lived in this cave when I was a boy was not like us. Some of the elders believed he was an evil spirit, so they decided to test him. He was invited into the sweat, just like I invited your friend. His reaction was quick and severe. Within a minute, his eyes were white, and he developed a fever._

_Just like Michael._

_Only it took the symptoms longer to show up in your friend. That's why I dismissed him at first. But when you told me he was sick, I knew he was another visitor._

_That's an interesting way to put it,_ Maria said.

River Dog nodded slightly. _That's what he called himself. In my language, the word is "nasedo." So that's what I called him._

_And you knew Nasedo well?_ Isabel asked.

_I saved his life. After the sweat, he ran out into the desert. And we were told not to follow him. But I was a boy, and I didn't listen. I found him in this cave… dying. He had to trust me with his secret so that I could heal him._

_And now you'll do the same thing to heal Michael?_

_I'll try, but I'll need the help of all of you._

Alex looked up, surprised… _Even me?_

_Healing requires energy. The more we have, the faster we heal. Now everyone take your place in the circle. There's a line for each of you leading to the center. Nasedo gave me these stones. They're from his place, and they carry an energy inside them._

_You mean, these are from…_ Max asked.

_Wherever you are from. He said that his body carried the same energy that's in these stones. He called it the balance. He said that the heat from the sweat disrupted it in some way._

_How?_

_He told me to hold the stones until my energy activated them. And the balance would be restored._

_And if you didn't?_

_He would die…_

As they followed River Dog's lead and began to chant, the energy in the stones began to have its effect on me. First, I woke up in this other place again, and this time they were all there with me… and Maria kissed me. Then I went back to the past and saw Max and Isabel right after we left the pods. I watched them leave me because I couldn't bring myself to trust anyone enough to go with them. Did you know that it was three years after that before we saw each other again? Max and Isabel trusted each other right away. She held his hand, and they walked together. But I stayed there. After that, I saw something that I've never revealed to anyone… ever… until now. I went from the past to the future, and I found myself on this strange planet. It was Antar, but I didn't even know its name. And there was Maria again… on Antar. I didn't know what it meant, but she smiled and kissed me. Then she held out her hand… and I took it.

I guess you've figured out that I didn't die, so you know River Dog pulled it off… with a bit of help from everyone there… Well, except Liz. He made her abstain because he sensed her deep concern for Max, and he knew that that wouldn't work or something. I woke up and pulled the webbing off of me. It was really gross! The webbing, I mean. I liked the kiss! And now I knew what to do with the rocks. I inserted them into various places in the cave wall, and after I had inserted all five rocks, all the rocks started to glow brighter and brighter, revealing a constellation of where we came from. It was a map… a map home… and maybe, just maybe… to something more. If I was willing to hold onto Maria's hand and never let go.

**End of Episode 109**

**tbc…**


	13. Ep 110 Feeling The Heat

Codename: TABASCO MG 

(The Awesome Background And Secret Chronicles Of Michael Guerin)

**Episode 110**

**Feeling The Heat (Toy House)**

**After my experience with the balance, I knew, somewhere deep down inside, that Maria and I were meant to be together. I had seen it… and felt it. But that didn't make things instantly change. First off, Maria was acting very cool toward me, and I found out it was because I hugged Max and Isabel after coming out of the trance or whatever it was and didn't hug her. She felt shunned… She said I acted like it was all an "alien" thing, just between the three of us. Actually, it kind of was an alien thing. Max and Isabel and I share a similar biology, so it was something that kind of affected the three of us… or could have. But I understood Maria's feelings. I never intended to shun her. So I decided to try to make it up to her… **

**Maria had this woodshop project to do for school, and she was trying to make a napkin holder… only I thought it was a shoe tree. Maria's good at a lot of things that I can think of, but none of them involve wood… uh… real… uh, you know, the stuff you get from trees… What? I am not blushing, Maria! I don't blush! It's the angle of the sun. Maybe I'm getting a little burned. I'll turn the other way. No, it was not my imagination, I saw the way you smiled. Yes, you did! It wasn't just a smile, it was one of "those" smiles. That's why I… Never mind. Let's move on. Does anyone else think it's getting a little warm out here? **

**Where was I? Oh yeah, the wood-working project… **

**I was trying to compliment Maria for making this great shoe tree, only it was supposed to be a napkin holder, so I tried to help her with it, but it kind of got broken. I really wanted to do this for her, so I built her another one myself and put it in her locker… with a note that said "Handmade by Michael – Thanks." It was beautiful… It was spring loaded… It redefined the term 'napkin holder.' It would have got her an A on the project. But you know what she did? She turned in her original one and got an F. I was floored. But what floored me even more was why she did it… **

**_…I, um, I… I didn't use yours. I kept it. Thank you._**

**She took an F so she could keep the one I made for her. That just totally blew me away. I couldn't believe she did that. **

**_I got something to say to you… If anything like that happens to me again, like when I got sick, don't help me. I can't get indebted to anyone, and I can't get entangled. I got to be a stone wall. And when I'm around you… sometimes I don't feel like a stone wall anymore._**

**_Well, what do you feel like?_**

**_I don't know. Like confused._**

**It left me not knowing what to say, which isn't normal for me. But the thing is, see, then I knew that Maria still liked me. That was pretty cool… especially since I was feeling kind of down after the balance thing. I had become accustomed to thinking of myself as this powerful avenger-type guy, and then the balance knocked me right off my feet. I needed to get my confidence back. Realizing that Maria still liked me was what it took!**

**Around the same time as this was happening to me, Max had a problem pop up that had the potential to affect us all as much as my experience with the balance did. He was talking to his mom in the kitchen when she spilled some oil. It touched the burner and went up in flames, along with the oil in the skillet. Max yelled, and his mom dropped to the floor, then Max used his powers to put the fire out. He told her that he had poured a pot of water on it, and she believed it.**

**_You saved my life, Max._**

_Mom, I… I just… _

_Poured water on it… You told me._

**_Right._ **

**She believed it… but Valenti didn't. See, the fire set off the alarm, and the fire department came. That gave Sheriff Valenti an excuse to drop in, too, and do some snooping on Max. Of course, Valenti said he was just making sure everyone was okay. But he was always snooping on Max. When I told him that stuff about me before, I intentionally left Max and Isabel out of the conversation. But he suspected them, too… and he wanted to know everything there was to know… about all three of us. At least there was one bright spot, though. He wasn't leaning on us and threatening to arrest us all the time anymore like he used to do before I made my deal with him. But he still used every excuse he could to try to get more information… on the sly. So it was no surprise, really, that he showed up.**

**_Heard you had an incident here. Just want to make sure everything's okay._**

**_Oh, we're fine… really. Just a little grease fire, but thank God my son put it out… He just came right in, pulled me out of the way, poured this pot of water on it, and suddenly everything was okay. It was miraculous, really._**

**_Miraculous…_**

**The sheriff thanked Mrs. Evans and left, but he came back later with a brochure on household emergencies. He had highlighted the section on grease fires to make sure she read it. In the brochure, it said that water won't put out a grease fire, it only spreads it. He also told her that Max was involved in some way in the shooting that went down in the CrashDown, and that according to some witnesses, Liz actually got shot and Max healed her. That made Max's mom start wondering about a lot of things, and when she was alone, she pulled out some old videos. One of them showed Max picking up a bird that appeared to have a broken wing and then releasing it. When he did, it flew away. She had always wondered about that but had written it off as coincidence or something, but now Valenti had placed a real seed of doubt in her mind, and she was starting to question everything. And that was driving a wedge between her and Max. She even quizzed Isabel about him…**

**_Have you ever noticed anything about your brother? Anything… unusual?_**

**_Like what?_**

_Well… I don't know. Anything that… maybe you were unable to explain._

**_Mom, what's this about?_**

**_Oh, forget it. Never mind. I guess I'm… I'm just a bit shaken still from the fire._**

**But that wasn't true. She had more questions for Max… **

**_Mom, why are you doing this to me?_**

**_I'm not doing anything to you._**

_…**You're supposed to be my mother. You're not supposed to investigate us.**_

**I remember meeting with Isabel and Max in the quarry to talk about what was happening, and I was upset that Max had healed a bird and given himself away like that. I think I may have accused him of trying to be Doctor Doolittle. But he pointed out that he was only six years old at the time and didn't even know he had powers. He just did it somehow. **

**Isabel had always hated keeping secrets from her mom, and she wanted to just come out and tell her everything about us. That's when I decided I had to intervene… well, not me maybe… the Avenger. Somebody had to do it. But first, I had another situation to fix…**

**Outside Maria's house, I waited just out of view until her mom left. She had a box under her arms… probably more blow up alien balloons for the gas station to sell to tourists or something. As soon as the Jetta was out of sight, I tossed a small pebble at Maria's window, and a moment later, she opened the window and looked out…**

"**Michael?"**

"**Hey! I thought I'd come over and, uh… you know… uh… maybe… apologize… I guess… or something."**

**Maria smiled, then she stuck her head out the window and looked toward the road. Her mom's Jetta was gone.**

"**Alright… but you can't stay too long. Mom will be back in an hour."**

**I climbed through Maria's window and sat down on the chair in front of her computer desk, and Maria looked at me questioningly…**

"**So…?"**

"**Huh? Oh! Yeah, uh, look… uh, what I wanted to say, Maria, is that… maybe, you know… maybe I… I should have shown you that I appreciated you more than I did… and, uh… well… I was wrong to… to say what I said about not wanting your help ever again. Even an ali… uh, a person like… me… can't always be a stone wall. What I'm saying is I don't want to be a stone wall when I'm with you, Maria. A stone wall can't feel the things I feel when I'm with you… And there's one more thing…"**

"**What's that?"**

"**Something I owe you… that I was supposed to give you and kind of… forgot."**

**Maria looked puzzled. I got up and walked over to her and put my arms around her. Then I hugged her. I heard her breathe in deeply then let it all out as her arms encircled me and her lips met mine. And I knew I had done the right thing… because I felt good all over.**

**About five minutes later… maybe it was ten or twenty… I kind of lost track of time while we were kissing… we looked at each other again, and Maria smiled. I smiled back, and she took her arms back from around me and turned around to get something…**

"**You made that great napkin holder for me, Michael… I wanted to make something for you. Here."**

"**What is it?"**

"**Open the bag and find out."**

**I opened the bag and removed something that looked like pajamas… Maria's pajamas. But they had been… well, I don't know how to describe it. She had dyed them electric blue and had sewn a gold-colored zigzag lightning stripe down the side of each leg. She had dyed the top fire-red and had sewn something on the back that looked like a… I can't even say it… Yeah, that's it… what Maria just said… a cape. A blue cape! On the front of the pajama top, she had sewn a gold letter "A," for "Avenger." To say I was in shock might have been an understatement…**

"**Uh, uh! No! I am not wearing this! No way, no how! Not happening!"**

**Maria started to look hurt again, and I suddenly saw everything about to crash right into the basement, so I swallowed hard and looked at it again…**

"**It's… it's nice… But I wouldn't need to wear it all the time, you know. Even Superman looks like Clark Kent most of the time. He wouldn't go to school in… uniform."**

"**Well, of course not! I don't expect you to wear it to school and everywhere, Michael! I just thought if you had, you know, any more Avenger-type problems to solve… maybe…"**

**Well, I knew of one problem I had to solve… how to keep from having to wear this and not lose Maria forever, but I couldn't say that…**

"**Maybe… maybe I could wear it once… and we'll see what happens. I've got someone I have to talk to right now, and it's sort of an Avenger matter."**

**Maria's eyes lit up, and I knew I was in real trouble.**

**I would have walked in the front door like any normal person, but wearing Maria's pajamas I wasn't exactly feeling "normal." The last thing I wanted was to have to explain this to Hansen and a bunch of curious deputies. Valenti was drinking a cup of coffee when I climbed in through his window, which was unfortunate, because it took him ten minutes to get all the grounds out of his nose… after he sprayed the rest of it all over his office.**

"**I have really got to get… a new filter… for that pot! God, that coffee is strong!" he said, blowing his nose again and mopping some more grounds up as they came out. "Michael… what the hell is that?!"**

"**Don't start! It was kind of a gift, and you'd better just say you like it. I could blast you through that wall, you know."**

**Valenti snickered and lifted my arm up, sniffing the material.**

"**What are you doing?"**

"**Looking for traces… of cedar oil… or cypress oil."**

"**Leave her out of this."**

"**Oh, I'm not going to arrest her, Michael… though that outfit might be some kind of crime… if I can find out what statute it breaks."**

"**Very funny! Remind me to laugh… when you're hanging from the arm of a light pole."**

"**You wouldn't do that."**

"**Don't be so sure."**

**Valenti grinned. "At least they're not tights… more like… a nifty harem outfit. What's the "A" for?"**

"**Avenger."**

**Valenti nodded, picking up the rag again and wiping off a few more coffee grounds, which continued to work their way out of his nose. **

"**This coffee could be declared a deadly weapon… when inhaled. I really need to get Hansen to buy us a new pot."**

"**You could clean this one out."**

"**What for? Heat kills germs. Hell, this coffee kills germs!"**

"**Maybe it would taste better when it comes out your nose, though."**

"**Good point. So, Michael… why are you here? Did you hope to kill me with my own coffee?"**

"**No, that was just a lucky bonus."**

"**Plotting to kill the sheriff. I could lock you up for life."**

"**You could… after they got you down off the lamp post."**

"**You know, Michael… I understand you. I do. That's what you don't know about me. And it's a good thing I do, because anyone else wouldn't be so easy to deal with."**

"**I'm just lucky."**

"**Yeah, you are. You joke about it, but you really are."**

"**How do you figure?"**

"**Well, you and I, we have a similar past…"**

"**Which planet did you come from?"**

"**I don't mean like that. I mean… we both grew up challenged… challenged to become something that… we didn't become easily… and to do it without a great amount of help. And because of that, we grew up a little rough around the edges. We understand each other. Well, I understand you anyway."**

"**I understand you, Sheriff. That's why you're the only person… almost… who knows what you do about me. I know that you're driven to find out everything you can, but I also know that you, more than almost anyone in Roswell, will keep those secrets… because if you betrayed us… betrayed me… you would be betraying yourself now. That's why I told you what I told you. It's why I made the agreement with you."**

"**Maybe you do know me better than I thought, Michael. I'm not sure how I feel about that… especially with you standing there in harem jammies."**

"**Well, I'm starting to like them."**

"**Really?"**

"**Yeah. They annoy you. They're also comfortable, in a weird sort of way."**

"**They… distract me. They don't annoy me. Getting back to my question, Michael, why are you here… and dressed like that?"**

"**I came to ask you to lay off of Max, Sheriff."**

"**Why? Is he one of you?"**

"**Yeah. One of my friends… one of my BEST friends. And I don't like what's happening to him. You're driving a wedge between him and his mom. Max is talking about leaving town because his mom is suspicious of him and asking a lot of questions that he can't answer. And you know why, Sheriff? Because he doesn't have the answers. He was abandoned when he was little… him and Isabel both. But they grew up and became something in spite of their early life. Can you see why I feel a kinship with them? Like me, they don't know who their real parents were… only mine are on some other planet. It takes a lot to overcome some kinds of scars, Sheriff. And in Max's case, you're adding to them by making his mom suspicious of him."  
**

"**Listen, Michael… it's not my intention to drive a wedge between Mrs. Evans and her son. It's just… good police work. Divide and conquer… It's… well, it's… yeah, I guess I see what you're saying. I didn't think about it like that. What can I do?"**

"**Don't put any more ideas in his mom's head."**

**Valenti nodded pensively. "I'll, uh, I'll try to take your advice, Michael. I will."**

"**Thank you, Sheriff. And regarding your other question…"**

"**What was my other question? I forgot now."**

"**Why I came dressed like this."**

"**Oh, yes! Now I remember! Well…?"**

"**I thought you might need some help on one of your cases… so I came dressed for the job."**

**Valenti smiled. "I could use some help… but God help me if anyone associated you with me… dressed like that. Could you put something else on?"**

"**You won't tell… anyone… on me?"**

"**No. Maria will never know."**

**That's when I had this pang like I'd never had before. It was something I had said to the sheriff earlier… about why he couldn't betray me now because he would be betraying himself, too. And there was something else… I took a deep breath and looked at the ceiling for a moment…**

"**I'm sorry, Sheriff. There's someone who means more to me than my self-respect… apparently. I have to wear this. But, hey, it's not so bad. It's comfortable… and it's not tights, right? Besides, someone took an "F" on a project because something that I gave her meant more to her than a grade. She means that much to me. The PJ's stay.**

**Valenti shook his head and grinned. "Michael, if I ever have another son… I would be proud if he were a lot like you. Come on… I'll show you some cases I'm working on. Lock the door. We wouldn't want Hansen walking in on us. He might get the wrong idea." **

**End of Episode 110**

**tbc…**


	14. Ep 111 Things That Go Bump In The Night

Codename: TABASCO MG 

(The Awesome Background And Secret Chronicles Of Michael Guerin)

**Episode 111**

**Things That Go Bump In The Night**

**(Into The Woods)**

**Frasier Woods. Y****ou remember Frasier Woods, don't you, Alex? I thought as much. I recall seeing several red marks on you after the, uh, camping trip. You tried to hide them, but…**

"**Those were mosquito bites."**

**No, I know mosquito bites.**

"**Okay, so I pinched myself… several times… to make sure I was awake. Hey, I was watching the stars with Isabel! I wanted to be sure it wasn't just another dream. I guess, maybe, I got a little carried away."**

**Yeah… SOMEBODY did. Do you always pinch yourself on the neck? Or, uh, under your shirt maybe… or anywhere else?**

"**She did not! I mean… I did not… not that I would ever tell you about it… if it ever did happen."**

**Just checking. So getting back to my story.**

"**I think I'd like to hear more of their story, Guerin."**

**Ask Isabel and Alex about it, Kyle.**

**(Isabel shook her head, and Kyle let out a melodramatic huff) "If you're gonna tease me and then leave out all the good parts, Guerin, I'm outta here!"**

**You're not going anywhere, Kyle. You still want to know about my secret past. Now where were we? Oh yeah! ****The incident in Frasier Woods. There**** was a lot of heat lightning in the sky, but some hikers saw this really bright white light that they suspected wasn't just heat lightning. The Sheriff was informed, and Milton, the owner of the UFO Museum before Brody Davis bought it, heard it on the police scanner. Milton was always listening in on the police radio, because he knew the Sheriff wasn't going to tell him about it if anything "alien-related" ever happened. Right away, Milton sensed that the bright light was important. So did Jim. Milton told Max, because Max was working for him in the museum, and Max told me and Isabel. We realized that we had to get there before either Jim or Milton did and find out what it was.**

**As luck would have it, our school was having a father-son campout in Frasier Woods that weekend, so Max and Isabel decided to go and take their dad… so they'd have an excuse, just in case Jim saw them and asked what they were doing there. Liz then decided to go camping, too… with her dad… because she was following Max; and Maria went, because, well, Liz wanted her to; and Alex went with his dad… to be near Isabel. It was all real cozy. Yeah, you smile, Alex, but don't tell me you weren't cozy! Mosquitoes, right! Mosquitoes with mighty big lips!**

"**Michael, are you calling me a blood-sucking parasite?"**

**No! No, No No, No No! I wasn't saying that, Isabel!**

"**Good! 'Cause if you were…"**

**Um… as I was saying, there was this bright light and… and… I forgot what I was saying.**

"**Love bug bites."**

**What, Alex?**

"**They were love bug bites."**

**(Isabel grinned and snuggled closer to Alex, and Michael took a deep breath) Uh, yeah… whatever. The bright light. Frasier Woods. Um. Campout. Sheriff Valenti… Oh yeah! Jim closed off a 4-square-mile area of the forest near the Indian reservation, not far from the cave, and Milton knew for sure then that the sighting was serious. But Milton and the Sheriff weren't the only ones interested in the sighting. I had a visitor in the night… none other than River dog himself.**

_**"Did you see it? Did any of you see it?"**_

_**See what?**_

"_**It was real."**_

_**Would you quit talking in riddles? What was? The sighting? How do you know?**_

"_**I've seen it before."**_

**Sheriff Valenti also knew someone else who was probably going to be real interested… the FBI. And he did not want them to close the woods and keep him out, which they would do once they showed up. They would cheat him out of his opportunity to find out what it was himself. And they never shared their information with him. Of course, to be fair, he rarely shared his with them either. He never told them about me… or about his suspicions about Max and Isabel.**

_**"Get Miller on the phone. Tell him to rush the search. I want every inch of that woods combed before Agent Stephens sends his feebee goons out there."**_

**Valenti was supposed to be camping out with Kyle, but he was actually coordinating the search with his cell phone from the campsite and acting like a guy with two dates who was trying to keep them both from seeing each other. He was suspicious of why Max and Isabel were really there, and he wanted to keep an eye on them, so he pretended he couldn't get cell phone reception where Kyle wanted to put their tent. Miraculously, the reception turned out to be great right next to Max and Isabel's tent.**

**I wasn't with them, of course… Hank wasn't exactly the camping type… or the fatherly type either for that matter. But River dog showed up at the trailer to get me when it was time.**

**During the night, Max and Isabel snuck out of their tent and set out to find the place where the sighting had occurred. Liz saw them and followed them. So did Sheriff Valenti. After a while, Liz wound up stumbling into Max and Isabel, and Max ordered her to go back. Fortunately, she refused. I'll tell you why I say "fortunately" in a minute. She said if it affected us, it mattered to her, too. **

**Next, Maria showed up, much to Isabel's distress.**

_**"Oh, great. That's great. Why don't we just send out a flare?"**_

**And then Liz heard barking in the distance… **_**"Is that coyotes, Max?"**_

"_**Search dogs. Come on, we're close. Come on!"**_

**Max and Isabel hurried off with Liz and Maria, but they soon realized that they weren't going to outrun the dogs. That's when Liz came up with her brilliant idea… and the reason I said it was fortunate that she didn't go back before when Max told her to.**

_**"You guys just keep going. Maria and I'll stay here and just let them catch us."**_

"_**Liz, no."**_

"_**No, Max, it's all right. We'll just say that we got lost in the woods. This is too important. Keep going."**_

"_**Are you sure?"**_

"_**Yeah. The important thing is, you just find what you're looking for."**_

"_**I will."**_

"_**Alright. Go!"**_

"_**We're over here! Help! Come find us! Help us! We're over here! We're here! We're right here!"**_

**Maria groaned… **_**"My mom's gonna love this… really!"**_

**Meanwhile, River dog and I arrived and were searching through the woods together, separately from Max and Isabel. And somewhere out there in the dark, Milton was running around with a metal detector looking for what he assumed was a fallen spaceship. In retrospect, I realize now that there was something odd about that weekend all along. Heat lightning in the sky… but Maria was complaining to Liz that she was freezing and that her aqua bra was turning to ice and her breasts felt like popsicles. What? Oh, nobody's going to care now, Maria! You were what… fifteen? I'll vouch that you don't need an aqua bra anymore! **

**See, the strange thing is… and besides, I like popsicles… there was heat lightning, but it was cold outside. I'm thinking maybe the heat lightning was caused by whatever made the signal… whatever made the bright light.**

**Unfortunately for everybody, Agent Stephens had already heard about the sighting, and he and a small group of his men were in the woods almost before we were. Almost… but not quite. River dog heard a noise and stopped me, holding up one hand…**

"**Listen!"**

**I don't hear anything.**

"**Listen."**

**I listened again. All I heard was a tiny pop or snap… like a twig breaking far away.**

"**Probably just a squirrel… in the trees."**

**River dog shook his head and pulled me down to the ground. Moments later, Agent Stephens and four of his goons walked by. They were being really quiet. But River dog heard them. As soon as they were past, River dog motioned to me…**

"**We have to find it… before they do."**

**He was right; I knew he was right! But I had no idea how to keep Stephens' and his goons from finding it… or how to keep them from discovering Max and Isabel. I just knew I had to come up with something, and fast! That's when an idea came to me.**

**I told River dog my plan, and he agreed, cautiously. He always seemed to be cautious. I guess it was something a lifetime of experience had taught him. But he did agree, so we put my plan into play right away. I aimed the palm of my hand at the sky and made several quick flashes of light that should have been pretty obvious. Almost immediately, we heard twigs breaking, as Stephens and his men rushed back in our direction. Okay, Max and Isabel would be safe… for the moment. But Stephens and his men were headed in my direction now. Quickly, River dog hid us under a small bluff and covered the entrance with leaves and twigs. He did a good job. Even I wouldn't have seen us! And just in time, as Stephens and his men rushed into sight like bulls stampeding through a china shop, forgetting all about stealth in their haste. They stopped close to where we were. Too close, in my opinion. I was afraid to breathe for fear they would hear me. I could have reached out and touched Stephens' feet. River dog, for his part, appeared to be the epitome of calm. He just blended into the terrain under the bluff, quieter than a mouse. Are mice really quiet? I think that's a myth. Quieter than an… earthworm… a DEAD earthworm! He just seemed to disappear. It takes practice, I guess. **

**Next, I aimed my palm at a nearby cloud. I could see it through the twigs. After a moment, the cloud stopped moving and rain started to fall. Agent Stephens looked around and then looked up… as the rain fell on him.**

"**It's raining!"**

"**I see that," one of the other agents said.**

"**But it's raining on me! Only on me!" Agent Stephens said calmly.**

"**Yes sir. Uh, may I suggest, respectfully, sir, that you move."**

**Agent Stephens stepped to one side, but the rain stayed with him.**

"**Any more suggestions, Johnson?"**

"**No sir. Maybe move some more. It has to be a fluke, sir."**

**Stephens moved again, then jumped, but the rain seemed to follow him.**

"**Johnson, come here."**

"**Me, sir?"**

"**Do you see anyone else here named Johnson?"**

"**No, sir. I mean, yes, sir… I'm coming, sir!"**

**Johnson walked over and stood beside Stephens, and the rain fell on them both.**

"**Carver! You come over here, too."**

"**Sir, maybe if I rushed and pushed you out from under the rain quickly…"**

"**Just come over here."**

"**Yes, sir."**

**Carver stood beside Stephens and Johnson, and the rain fell on all three men. **

"**Now I'm going to step this way, and the two of you stay here," Stephens said. He stepped to one side, but the rain seemed to merely spread out over a broader area, falling on all three men. The two men who were not under the rain looked flustered and unsure what to do.**

"**I think it's this crazy weather, sir," Agent Perez interjected, looking up at the sky. "The weatherman said something about an inversion in the area over the weekend."**

"**Inversion? or invasion?" **

"**Sir, I don't think…"**

"**I do! This is not natural, Perez. But I am not going to die from a little rain… or let it stop me. Let's go."**

**Stephens turned and started to walk away with Johnson and Carver, all three getting drenched, as Perez and Williams followed at a "safe" --and dry-- distance. But a moment later, there was a clap of thunder, and all five men found themselves suddenly under the downpour. Strangely, it seemed to be localized over them. They could see where it ended but even by walking in different directions, they could not seem to get out from under it. So they finally stopped trying.**

"**It's got to be right around here somewhere," Stephens grumbled. "It can't be far away. Come on!"**

**As soon as Stephens and his men disappeared, I crawled out from under the bluff and helped River dog out. **

"**What do we do now? All I did was slow them down… and get them wet… and mad."**

**River dog seemed to think. "If I had the power… I would summon the animals… the bears and the coyotes… to scare them out of the woods. But I do not have such powers."**

**I knew what River dog was suggesting. He didn't have such powers, but I did. Or at least, he thought I did. I wasn't entirely sure of that myself. It's not like I had ever done it before. But how do you know if you don't try… so I concentrated. Nothing.**

"**It's not working. I can't do it. I can't talk to animals. You should've got Doctor Doolittle."**

"**I don't know him. Concentrate, Michael… not with words… with thoughts. Think like a bear… like a coyote."**

"**Easy for you to say…" **

**I sighed and concentrated. But after several moments, I actually felt my mind touch another mind… and it didn't seem human. It was more… brutish. Well, maybe some humans... But no, this was different. This was… denser somehow… yet strong. I don't know how, but I knew it was a bear. I concentrated, trying to place a mental image of Stephens and his men into the bear's mind and a sense of danger. I repeated the effort several times and felt two more bears and four coyotes. Then I looked at River dog…**

"**What if I can't control them? What if they eat Stephens and his men then come after us… or Max and Isabel?"**

**River dog shrugged. "You're asking me? You're the one with the powers."**

"**Powers, yes… but maybe no brains. I should have thought this out first."**

"**You will find a way," River dog said, with much more confidence than I was feeling at the moment. It didn't take long for something to happen. As we stood there, we heard the greatest crashing and commotion, and moments later, Stephens and his gang ran by us, without slowing down or even seeing us. Close behind them were three angry bears and four coyotes. I guess if there was one bright spot for them, it was that they were no longer being rained on. Once they moved out of my sight, I couldn't keep the cloud over them anymore.**

**I looked at River dog and shook my head… "I don't know why I should be concerned for them. If they captured me or Max or Isabel, there's no telling what they would do to us. But I can't just let them get killed."**

"**The agents? Or the bears?"**

"**Good point! Both I guess."**

**River dog smiled. "You have the power, Michael. Remember?"**

**I nodded and concentrated, trying to get the pursuers to fall back a bit… for their own safety as much as that of Stephens and his men. Stephens' men had guns, and I was sure they would use them if they had to, though it wasn't clear how much effect their small weapons would have on a large bear… much less on three of them. Fortunately, the fleeing agents seemed to have figured that out for themselves. I would never have guessed that they could run so fast. But I also knew that they would be back. Stephens was nothing if not determined. He would definitely be back. But maybe not in time to find anything… if we hurried.**

**As we rushed to find the place of the sighting, River dog slipped and hurt his ankle. I healed it for him, but only after convincing myself that he couldn't heal it himself. I guess I was kind of hoping, you know. I mean, he came to the trailer to get me. He treated me like… You see, Hank was never… I mean… he could never be… But River dog… I could see him being my real dad… our real dad. He knew so much about us, and he could have been. He could've… **

**But he wasn't. **

**A short time later, River dog and I walked into a clearing, near the cave, and we found Max and Isabel. **

_**"What are they doing here?"**_

_**They came on their own.**_

"_**Alright. This is where it will be."**_

_**What are we looking for?**_

**It was Isabel who found the answer… the alien symbol… the same one we had seen before in the cave. It was burned onto the ground. We turned off our flashlights and held out our palms, and it lit up with a light blue glow.**

**The white light, or whatever the hell that was, caused this, River dog?**

_"**Yes. It's a sign. It was meant for you."**_

**I looked at it and nodded, understanding… Nasedo's here.**

**At that moment, Sheriff Valenti showed up and ordered us to step out of the way so he could see what was there, but Max used his powers to make the symbol disappear while I blocked his view. Valenti looked at the clean-swept sand then back at us…**

**_"Something was here. What were you looking at?"_**

**Max just shrugged… ****_"We've been lost for hours here. Thank you for finding us."_**

**I didn't know it at the time, but not far from where all this was taking place… not far from where Stephens and his men had been running from bears and coyotes, two people had been sitting together, so absorbed in each other that they hadn't noticed anything that was going on… Isabel and Alex.**

_**"And then to the right of the Milky Way, that's Orion, Alex."**_

"_**Oh, wow!"**_

"_**And see the north star?"**_

"_**Yeah."**_

"_**Okay, now look a little to your left… and a little further out… that small group of stars right there, that's the Cygnus Constellation. It's the furthest we can see from here."**_

"_**It's amazing."**_

"_**What is?"**_

"_**Staring at the stars with you. I mean, I used to look up there, and stars were just stars. One was just as good as the next one. Somehow with you… I mean… it's so wondrous, you know? I mean… each star is… is a mystery, you know, and so full of possibility. This is so much better than seeing a movie."**_

"_**Thanks, Alex!"**_

"**I'm so glad you came on this trip, Isabel! Without you… it would just be boring out here in the woods." **

**End of Episode 111**

**tbc…**


	15. Ep 112 The Measures Of Dignity

**Codename: TABASCO MG**

**(The Awesome Background And Secret Chronicles Of Michael Guerin)**

**Episode 112**

**The Measures Of Dignity**

**(The Convention)**

**A week after the incident in Frasier Woods the ripples were still being felt in Roswell. Of course, a lot of those "ripples" were UFO freaks, who came running every time there was a flash of lightning thinking ET was landing. The last time a lunar eclipse was visible in Roswell, while we were still there, at least a dozen alien seekers showed up thinking that a huge mother ship was blocking out the moon. But the only invasion was the invasion of the pinheaded morons. If they had just thought to check and see if an eclipse was expected before phoning all their friends… **

**Hey! What's 500 feet long, has a total IQ of 6, and will never get sex? Give up? The line of pinheads waiting to get inside the UFO Center during a UFO convention. **

**The ironic thing was that the Frasier Woods incident was the real thing, not that those pinheads would ever know it. To them, everything in Roswell was alien related. They couldn't sort out what was real from what wasn't. Even Liz's doctored picture of a bloated alien baby doll fooled them! And you wonder why Amy did such a brisk business with her glow-in-the-dark blow up dolls? **

**I never told Jim the truth about the lights in Frasier Woods or about the mysterious symbol on the ground… the one Max erased… and he never asked about them again. I think he knew that I knew something, but he knew that I would never admit that I knew what he knew I knew. Um… you know what I mean, right? Jim seemed to understand that I wasn't ready to open up about some things yet. Sometimes his intuitiveness surprised me. But then he would turn around and surprise me again by trying to find out the answers on his own, behind my back. That caught me by surprise the first time he did it. Okay, maybe the first couple of times. But then I learned to expect it. After all, it was his job, I guess, to be in the know about whatever stuff was going on in Roswell. Now that I think about it, it must have driven him crazy back then trying to figure us out.**

**But like I said, it was a few days after the Frasier Woods incident, and the UFO convention was starting, the one they have every year in Roswell. Jim ordered his deputies to tell anyone who asked that the Frasier Woods sighting had just been dry lightning. That was his official response, but it wasn't what he believed. And there were others who didn't believe it either. One of them was sitting in Jim's chair when he walked back into his office… Everett Hubble.**

**Jim was unamused to find Hubble sitting in his chair, in his office, which had been locked. **

**How'd you get past the front desk? …You're not welcome here, Hub.**

**_Oh, Junior, I expect more from you than dumb-ass, small-town threats. Well, just wanted to stop by. Regards to your dad. From what I hear, you're starting to come around to his way of thinking. See ya, Junior._**

**Hubble walked out the door with a smirk on his face. He had just come to let Jim know that he was wise to him. Jim got the hint. He also got the reference to his father's old obsession. And he was less than amused by the comparison. **

**Okay, so there were pinheaded morons, then there were the dangerous types, like the FBI guys, and then there was Everett Hubble. I wasn't sure yet which category he fell into. But with everybody acting like it was a full moon, I figured I might as well at least find out if the pinheads really knew anything. I shouldn't have wasted my time. **

**_I've concluded, Mr. Guerin, that yes, these aliens do exist. Yes, they're among us today. And yes, they're brutal, dangerous killers and must be stopped at any cost._**

**Yep, that's what he said. Worse, Isabel overheard it. She pulled me aside and glared at me as though I had been collaborating with the enemy to wipe out my race or something. She said the convention was "psychologically damaging" and she wanted to leave. But then a character in an alien disguise walked up acting weird and saying _"Save me. Save me. I'm a human trapped in an alien body."_**

**It turned out it was Max. Did I say there was a full moon? Isabel looked like she wanted to hurl. I actually felt sorry for her… a little bit. She said we'd just lost our last shred of dignity. Isabel thought even less of these alien conventions and self-proclaimed alien "experts" than I did, and that was saying something. But at least Maxie here seemed to be enjoying himself. He was even handing out flyers for Milton, the owner of the UFO Center. But I guess he had to; he worked for him. And that wasn't really a bad thing, actually, because it gave us an inside edge. There was a lot of stuff in there, and some of it, we thought, might help us find out where we were from… or about our people. Not all of it, of course. A lot of it was just freak show stuff for the pinheads to gawk at. For instance, Maria's mom was busy setting up this display that she called the "Alien Takedown." **

**I have to hand it to Liz, though. When the freaks would come into the CrashDown to eat, she would humor them… with a totally straight face.**

**_Can I get you guys anything else?_**

**_I am Zinaplox from the planet Zedagon. I come to destroy humanity and return to my home planet._**

**_Well, then, it's really great that you're starting out with a nice hearty breakfast._**

**Now see, that was cool. I don't think I could have said that with a straight face. I would have dumped the eggs over Zinaplox's pointy head… with a smile, of course. After all, you do have to be professional when you're dealing with customers. That's what sets me apart from Isabel. She wouldn't have smiled when she dumped the eggs on his head. **

**The UFO Convention was always a big groan for us, but this year's crowd wasn't entirely the usual convention year crowd. Well, the pinheads were the usual. But the sighting in Frasier Woods had brought out others this time. The media were there asking about the sighting. Even Jonathan Frakes showed up. Okay, he was invited. Milton wanted to get his handprints in cement; you know, like that place in Hollywood where they have all the stars' handprints. Frakes' handprints were going to be a first for the UFO center. Patrick Stewart and William Shatner were supposed to come, too. They had suites reserved at the Tumbleweed Motel, but they never showed up. **

**Then there were the FBI guys. They were trying to blend in with the crowd, wearing alien masks and the same freak-o-geek-o crap that the pinheads were wearing. But it wasn't hard to spot them. They stood out… like pit bulls in poodle hair cuts. Maybe it was because they were the ones who didn't pick their noses or snort when they laughed… **

**Maybe it was because they never laughed.**

**To be honest, I guess I have to admit that I was a little naïve about some things back then. I really did believe that some of these kooks in alien masks might know something. Big joke, huh! The ones I talked to were clueless eunuchs. But I figured that there had to be at least a few real experts out there in that whole big crowd, and Max would know who they were because he was working at the UFO center and had inside information. But when I asked him he said it was all only a big freak show. Then I overheard Milton trying to get that Hubble guy to host a discussion panel and telling Max that Hubble was probably one of the few humans who really had had direct contact with aliens. And I could tell that Hubble wasn't like the others. He had an air of… I don't know… self-importance… ego… or something. He did seem like he knew something. He wasn't a player, though. Maybe that's another reason I was intrigued by him, actually. It added to his mysterious… enigmatic… whatever.**

**Milton was clearly excited about this Hubble guy being there. And Milton was one person who did know who the experts were. But Hubble wasn't biting. _I'm just passing through. Nice little souvenir shop you got going here, Miltie._**

**And Milton turned to Max imploringly…**

**_Max, you want to do more? Get Hubble to do the roundtable. Disappeared almost thirty years ago, nobody's seen him since. The man's an enigma._**

**Okay, so now I knew who to keep an eye on. Everett Hubble. I couldn't care less whether he did Milton's roundtable or not, but I knew that sooner or later, this was the guy I was going to have to talk to. Sooner or later. But not now. For now, I would keep an eye on him and see if I could find out why he was in Roswell. He definitely wasn't the convention type. Outside, I saw Hubble lean against a car and look around like he was looking for something. I wondered what. Then I saw Valenti headed in Hubble's direction, and he didn't look like he was going to invite him to a tea party. I stepped out of sight in the shadows and watched, as Hubble looked up and spotted him…**

**_Looking for someone, Jimmy?_**

**_What did you come back here for, Hubble?_**

**_Well, I've been tracking what's been going on around here for the last few months. The shooting in September at the CrashDown… What happened over there?_**

**_You got to my father when he was at his weakest, and you pushed him over the edge. Because of you, I had to have him committed._**

**_Well, now you're giving me more credit than I deserve._**

**I guess I got caught up in what Hubble was saying and stepped out of the shadows for a moment. It was only for a nanosecond, and I jumped back quickly, but Hubble glanced my way. I don't think he saw me well… at least not well enough to know who I was, but he stopped talking and started to walk toward me. I needed a distraction. I didn't want him to know I was following him. Uh… Max… We're like bros, right? I mean… you wouldn't hurt your brother… your best friend in the world… would you? ****What do you mean, "that depends!" **

…**Okay, yeah, I know you could fix any damage you did, but I'd rather it didn't get done in the first place. I'm kind of attached to my bones the way they are. Come on, Max, it was a long time ago! Forgiving is divine and all that… Promise me!**

…**Okay, well, you see, here's the thing, like I was saying, I needed a distraction, and I didn't have time to be choosy. Remember that before you kill me. I looked around, and Frakes was about to put his hands on that mold of cement you had mixed up so carefully to just the right consistency. I kind of… made it soupy. I figured… Frakes falls into cement… big distraction, right? But hey! He didn't fall in! His hands just sank to the bottom, so no biggie, right? No harm done? And it worked! Hubble looked at Milton, who was screaming hysterically at you and apologizing all over the place to Frakes, and I took advantage of the distraction and took off. He never saw me. Max! Max! Sit down, Max! Come on, it was a long time ago! Stop, Max! I'm your friend, remember? Your best friend! You can't… GAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! I'll never get all that sand out of my pants! …Stop laughing! You're all sadists! All of you! Wait… what was that? Max? What was in that sand?! Is that a… Don't tell me that was the sand out of Alyyx's pail… the one that had the family of nettle crabs in it! God, Max! I can't take my pants off here in front of everyone! OWWW! GEEZ! OWWW! SHHEEEEEEZ! Wait a minute… I've got to go… take a swim… or something… AYYYYYYYY YI… YOUCH!**

**Five minutes later, I climbed out of the water, and Max grinned smugly…**

**"Did you get rid of your crabs, Michael? I'll have to promote the Golden Sea's newly discovered therapeutic values in our next intergalactic tourist ad! It'll be a great draw! You could give a testimonial!"**

**Oh, yeah! Yuk it up, Max! The rest of you sadists, too! And yes, they're gone, thank you. Sorry, Alyyx… We'll find you some more stinging nettle crabs. I did what I had to do, Max. I needed a distraction… fast. That's all. So I made one. It was nothing personal.**

**"And I want you to know you're forgiven, Michael."**

**Hmph! Yeah, well. I'm still itching. And stop laughing, you guys! It's really not that, snyxxx… it's not that, snyyxxx… Okay, not from my perspective, it's not. Sadists. So I'm forgiven now? So I can sit down and go on with my story and not worry about getting any more unwanted… crabs… or whatever? Okay, well… **

**OW! Wait a minute! I think I missed one! There it is. As I was saying… there was someone else who was back in town for the convention that year. Larry… and his girlfriend… what was her name? Jen, I think. You know, the two who were in the CrashDown the day Liz got shot who tried to convince Jim that Max had done something to her to heal her. Jen seemed upset this time, though. She spent the whole day over at the CrashDown talking to Liz and just drinking lots of coffee. Larry spent the day at the UFO center. He got himself penciled in on the list of speakers who claimed to have had direct contact with aliens. And when it was his turn to speak, I was there…**

**_Okay, um… it happened right here… right in Roswell, New Mexico. September 17th. I was in the CrashDown Cafe. Now, that's right across the street. So I'm sitting there. Two guys come in. Boom! They start having an argument. Boom! A gun is pulled._**

**I knew where Larry was going with his story, and I couldn't let it happen, so I "accidentally" touched him on the chest and gave him a nasty itch like I did that time to that jock that was messing with Max. It pretty much ended his speech, but he looked like an idiot, scratching and stammering. What am I saying? He WAS an idiot!**

**Frakes chuckled and shook his head, and the "expert" basically accused Larry of making it all up, which irked Larry, and he started to get agitated. Then Frakes called for security and Milton suggested that Max help him take Larry down. It was classic!**

**You see why I hate UFO conventions! I did get rid of the troublesome Larry Trilling, though. Okay, Max and Milton threw him out… But outside the UFO Center, he found Everett Hubble, who apparently had been listening…**

**_I believe you, kid. Tell me everything. Tell me about Max Evans. Tell me what you saw._**

**The fact that Larry was scratching as if he had… well… stinging nettle crabs all over… did not deter Hubbard at all. He listened to everything Larry said… for two hours… and believed it all. Hubbard then went back and tried to convince Jim that he was willing to lay all his cards on the table if Jim would do the same. He showed Jim some of the murder photos he had taken, with silver handprints on the victims. **

**_Where'd you get these?_**

**_I know you've been investigating, but you're a weekend enthusiast. It's been full-time for me. Jimmy, your father may have made a mistake that night, pulled the trigger on the wrong man… but he wasn't crazy. You already know that, don't you? You knew that when I showed up here. It was in your eyes. All your father wanted to do was to help this world out. And they hung him on a cross for it. This isn't just some happy-go-lucky alien we're lookin' at. This is a killer, Jimmy. If you know something about it, it's our duty to team together now… do something. What about this kid, Max Evans? He have something to do with all this?_**

**_Maybe._**

**"What do you know about Max Evans, Jimmy?"**

**"You know what, Hub… I was over at the retirement home this morning, and I talked to Dad."**

**"You're evading the question, Junior."**

**"He said I shouldn't trust you."**

**"Did he now! And did he sound coherent to you?"**

**"Yeah. Well, pretty much… some of the time. Okay, not everything he says these days makes sense. But why would he tell me not to trust you?"**

**"You tell me."**

**"I'd like to. Alright. What's your important information, Hub? What do you know about that night… and these… victims in your pictures? How much I tell you depends on what you give me. I want to know the real story about what happened with Dad that night at the silo… in 1972."**

**Hubble proceeded to lay out a convoluted story of alien serial murders, omitting certain self-incriminating facts in the case that involved Jim's father and the dead drifter at the silo in 1972. But Jim mind was wandering as he listened… **

**_Dad… try to focus. That night of the murder… at the silo… Hubble was there?_**

**_Whatever you do, don't trust him, Jimmy._**

**Back at the UFO Center, Amy was having her Nineteenth Nervous Breakdown… you know, like that old Rolling Stones song. She was on the phone with one of the wrestlers she had hired for that "Alien Takedown" exhibit she and Maria had set up.**

**_You can't quit now. The Alien Takedown is in an hour! Ernie, you have nothing to be afraid of. Raging Ray is a puppy dog. Look, he's not really gonna do anything really rough. I realize you suffered a broken rib last year… Fine, two! I… did you not receive my gift basket? Look, Ernie, if you don't do this, I'm broke, okay? I'm out of business, okay? I… I have half my annual revenue tied up in this thing! Hello? Hello? Oh!_**

**I guess I should have been happy. That exhibit was not exactly kind to my species, whoever they were, I told myself. It was one of the big frauds that the UFO Convention perpetuated every year… one of the baser tourist gimmicks. Isabel would certainly be happy to find out it wasn't going to happen. Well, anyway, she would be happy if she knew. The UFO Center was not high on her list of entertainment places. She tried to ignore what went on there… and what didn't go on there. So Amy would lose a lot of money. It would be one less fraud perpetuated on the naïve public… and no skin off my nose, right? **

**Meanwhile, over at the CrashDown, it looked like the sympathy squad was convening. Jen had been drinking coffee and crying all day to Liz about how Larry had proposed to her and then had become so obsessed with all the alien stuff that he had no time to get married. Then Amy joined them with her woes about the Alien Takedown that wasn't. Maria and Liz were giving Jen and Amy comfort and moral support when Milton rushed in…**

**_Amy! Where are you? The match is almost over!_**

**_What? Ernie showed up?_**

**Amy rushed to the UFO Center and found a masked wrestler lying in the middle of the ring. He didn't appear to be moving, and Ray made some quip about him needing an ambulance. **

**_Ernie! Oh, my God! Are you okay?_**

**I took off the mask and grinned. "I'm just resting."**

**I guess Amy hadn't expected to find me there. I can't say I expected to find me there either, so how could she, right? It had been kind of a spontaneous decision.**

**_Oh, you dear, dear, boy! Oh!_**

**I tried to downplay it. I didn't want Maria to think I was getting soft or something. So I just said, _It was easy money._**

**But the truth is, no amount of money could have made me do that. I mean, when Isabel found out… well, I didn't even want to think about that! I wasn't really sure myself why I did it. Then Maria pulled my face to hers and kissed me.**

**_Mud._**

**_What?_**

**_Mud. I'm thinking about mud._**

**_Why do I even try?_**

**It was true. I was thinking about mud. It was something I had suggested to Max to keep us from being so attracted to Maria and Liz… because we didn't think it was a good idea for us to be too attracted to them, considering who… or what… we are. The only trouble was, it wasn't working. At least, I knew it wasn't for me. And I could tell it wasn't for Max either… unless mud gave him that deer-in-the-headlights look every time Liz was around. I could say mud all day long and even try to picture it in my mind, and I still saw Maria. And she wasn't mud at all… definitely not mud! But I thought I had to try… for all the good it was doing. It really bothered her back then, but she teases me about it now. One time, several years after we were married, she gave me this picture of her, and it was just a picture of some mud. It was her little joke. Remember that, M'ria?**

**"Yeah, and I remember what you did. Michael touched the picture, and the mud disappeared, like magic, and my face appeared on the picture instead. He said that's what he really saw all the time. But he was too stubborn back then to admit it!"**

**True. But Maria was the one who performed the magic, not me. She bewitched me. I tried to see mud. I did. I just couldn't stop seeing her face. She was the magic all the time. When I realized that, that's when I finally found my real happiness.**

**Sometimes, a lot of things are happening at the same time, and your emotions get taken on a roller coaster ride. This was one of those times. I guess while I was wrestling in the "Alien Takedown" exhibit, I kind of lost track momentarily of Hubble. I didn't know it, but while I was doing Amy a favor, Hubble was looking for Max. He found him in a back room of the UFO Center…**

**_Evans! Milton said you wanted to talk to me about something._**

**_Yeah, um, Shatner's a no-show._**

**_Oh? Sorry to hear about that._**

**_What do I have to do to convince you to… to do this panel, Mister Hubble?_**

**_Well, son, your tenacity has won me over._**

**_Really?_**

**_I'm no Captain Kirk, but I'll give it my best shot._**

**_Great! Thank you!_**

**_There's only one problem. My slides are back home. I'd go get em, but, uh, I busted a hose on my way up…_**

**_Then I'll drive you._**

**_That's what I thought you'd say._**

**As I walked back out of the UFO Center, I saw Max and Hubble leaving together in Max's Jeep. It was too late to stop them, but I had a sixth-sense sort of reaction when I saw Larry standing nearby. Somehow, I just knew that he knew why they were leaving together. And I was determined he was going to tell me.**

**_What the hell's going on? What's that guy doing with Max?_**

**_I don't know._**

**_Tell me what he's doing with Max!_**

**"How the hell do I know? Alright! Alright! Listen, he didn't tell me, okay? I don't know where they're going. Really! We just talked… about the shooting last year… in the café. He wanted to know what I saw, and he asked a lot of questions about Max. I can't tell you any more than that!"**

**I didn't know where Hubble was going with Max, but I had a good idea who might know. Jim was eating a late lunch at his desk when I climbed in through his office window.**

**"Don't you ever use doors, Michael?"**

**"I try not to. People see me when I use the door."**

**"Is that such a bad thing?"**

**"It could be. I prefer to be… elusive."**

**"Oh, yeah! The Avenger and all that!"**

**"Yeah, well… the fewer the people who know I'm here the better."**

**"So why are you here, Michael?"**

**"Why are you eating… broccoli?"**

**"I asked you first. Besides, there's other stuff on this tray besides broccoli."**

**"I needed to talk to you… about Hubble."**

**"Now you just spoiled my appetite."**

**"I thought the broccoli woulda done that."**

**"Doesn't Hank ever give you broccoli?"**

**"Hank's more of a hot dog and beer guy."**

**"Yeah but what does he give you?"**

**"Like I said…"**

**Jim frowned, and I shrugged.**

**"Hey, it's wet. Besides, I get the healthy stuff at school."**

**"I've gotta stop in and see Hank some time… soon! You should get juice and water. Coffee. Milk. And regular fruits and vegetables… even a little broccoli on occasion wouldn't hurt you, Michael."**

**"Me and broccoli have a pact. I don't eat it, and it doesn't eat me. So far it's been faithful to our pact, and I don't intend to be the one who breaks it first."**

**Jim looked at me and shook his head slowly, but he had a grin on his face. "You're hopeless! Okay, what did you want to know about Hubble?"**

**"What is he? I mean… is he really some big alien expert like he claims to be? And what does he want here in Roswell… from you? Why is he interested in Max? And where is he going with Max now?"**

**"All pretty good questions. Okay, let's see. Yes, he is a big alien expert. Yes, he is a bastard…"**

**"I didn't ask that."**

**"I threw it in for free. And, as for what he's looking for in Roswell… from me? That's what I'm trying to find out precisely myself. But the bottom line, when all else is said and done, is he's looking for you, Michael. Or someone like you… someone who doesn't have your scruples. Someone who is a killer, who has killed in the past, and who left only a handprint as evidence. As to why he's interested in Max… well, maybe you can tell me that. There's a lot you haven't told me about Max."**

**"It's not my place. Max is my friend. Just that. I wouldn't want to see any harm come to him. Where is Hubble now?"**

**"He said something about looking for Max… to talk to him privately. But he didn't say anything about going off anywhere with him."**

**"Why would he want to talk to Max?"**

**"I told you, he's an alien hunter… a very elusive one. He totally dropped out of sight for almost thirty years. Not a very sociable man, but a very good detective… of a sort. He's a bulldog for information. I guess he thinks Max has information… or… something."**

**"It's that something that's worrying me, Sheriff. Would Hubble hurt Max?"**

**Jim was quiet for several moments then slowly shook his head. "No… no, I don't think so. He's a bastard, but he's not dangerous… that I know of… not like that. You would do well to warn Max to stay away from Hubble, though, Michael. It's in Max's best interest… yours too… to avoid him. Hubble destroys reputations… and souls. His heart is blackened by obsession. He could cause both of you great problems, and he'd have no moral compunction or regrets about it afterwards. But he's not capable of murder… that I know of… I don't think."**

**"Why do you dislike him so much?"**

**"Michael, there's a lot I haven't told you… just as there's a lot you haven't told me. You know that my dad is still alive… in the retirement center…"**

**"Yeah."**

**"You know that people say that he was… obsessed… with aliens?"**

**"That's the rumor. It's not a secret."**

**"Yeah, well. It's true. He was obsessed. And so was Hubble. Hubble did something to Dad. To this day, I still don't know what it was. He did something that sent Dad over the edge. In one day, Dad went from being the sheriff of this town to being what he is now… incapable of even caring for himself. Hubble did that, and so help me God I'm going to find out what he did if it's the last thing I ever do. What Hubble wants from me is information to lead him to the real aliens, or at least to one alien, one who has killed. What I want is Hubble's head on a stick --figuratively speaking; or literally, if necessary-- when I finally find out what he did to Dad. It's a trade… of sorts."**

**"You would give him me then… to get what you want?"**

**"No. No, I don't intend to lower myself to his level, Michael. I gave him a little bit of general information, that's all. Nothing about you. It's called bait. I'm waiting to see if he takes the hook."**

**"What kind of 'general information?'"**

**"I might have mentioned the time that Max supposedly put out a grease fire with water… or some such stuff. And we discussed the shooting at the CrashDown. But Hubble brought that up himself. He already knew about it. I might have given him Larry's name, though; you know, that guy that insisted that Liz got shot. It was all just publicly available information from closed investigations that never came to anything. I was baiting Hubble with useless information… just to get him to talk about what happened between him and Dad in 1972… what he did that put Dad… where he is now."**

**"And what if he was dangling a baited hook, too, Sheriff? For you? And you swallowed it whole by giving him the information he wanted? A man like that gives nothing away for free. If he asked for information about Max, even if you don't see any relevance, I'm willing to bet that Hubble does… or thinks he does. And Max could be in trouble. What do you think Hubble, with his warped obsession, will do to Max if he thinks Max really is this dangerous killer alien he's looking for? Where are Hubble and Max now?"**

**Jim pushed his food away and picked up several pictures Hubble had given him and looked at them with a deeply troubled face. I remember thinking that, suddenly, Jim looked as though he thought he might have traded his soul for those pictures. There was a car in one of them… and a barely-visible license number on the car. Jim punched the number into his computer and took a deep breath. **

**"_Well, now, how about that!_ The car's registered to Sheila Hubble. So Hubble does have a wife… or at least he did at one time. Dad was right. Michael, you may want to come with me. I have a bad feeling about this. I'm going to find Max, but I'll need to stop somewhere first to verify something… and to find out where Hubble might have gone with him. Otherwise, we may be wasting a lot of precious time searching in all the wrong places!"**

**The first stop Jim made was at the retirement home. I admit I was a bit baffled. I wondered what his father could possibly know about where Max and Hubble were. But something was telling me that Jim was onto something, so I didn't question it. Well, okay, I didn't question it MUCH.**

**"Why are we stopping here?"**

**"To see Dad."**

**"Do you really think this is the time for a social visit? Max's life may be in danger! We should be looking for Max!"**

**"Don't you think I know that, Michael? That's why we HAVE to stop here first. If ANYONE knows where Hubble would take Max… if he intended to do him harm… it would be Dad."**

**Inside the retirement home, we were quickly passed in to see Jim's dad. It was one of the good things about being the sheriff, I guess. You don't have to go through a lot of crap to get in to see someone. It's just "Yes, sir, Mister Valenti," or "Yes, sir, Sheriff." I remember thinking, just for a nanosecond, that if I weren't a superhero, I might not mind being the sheriff. Okay, it was a fleeting thought. Jim found his dad sitting in a chair staring out the window. He pulled a chair up beside his dad's and sat on it, backwards, resting his arms on the back of the chair as he straddled it.**

**"Hey, Dad! How ya doin'? I came to see ya. Twice in one week! Some kinda record, I guess, huh? I'm so sorry. I really am. I'm gonna try to make it up to ya… come by to see ya more often from now on. I'm sorting my priorities out. Priorities! You know how those are, right? Things that aren't so important start seeming like they are, and… things that… really are… get lost in the… stars… somewhere… out there. Wait a minute… I think there's something in my eye. Okay, I think I got it. Then reality throws cold water in your face and shows you the things that really matter. Dad, what I'm trying to say is… you're more important to me than a few extra hours a week investigating stuff that always could've waited till there was time. Hey! I brought a friend with me to see ya, Michael Guerin.**

**Hi!**

**The senior Mister Valenti seemed to see me but didn't say anything. **

**Dad _You were right. He had a wife. Hubble came to you, didn't he? He told you someone was trying to steal his car that night… and he found his wife dead. And she had a handprint on her, just like the one that you'd seen on that corpse in 1959. And he saw a man run away from the scene, a drifter. And he thought the drifter was the murderer. Two years after the murder, he came back, didn't he? And he found you. And he persuaded you… seduced you… and you helped him find that drifter. Isn't that right, Dad?_**

**_The drifter?_**

**_And when you found him, you killed him. You killed an innocent man because of Hubble._**

**_No._**

**_Dad!_**

**_No!_**

**_Dad, tell me what happened out there, please._**

**It wasn't going to happen. I could see that. Jim's dad had some mental function still left, but it was emotionally locked away in some kind of deep recess of his mind. It was inaccessible. Maybe this was how he had survived all these years with whatever it was he had had to live with. I'm no Max. When it comes to healing, he can run circles around me. But Max wasn't here, and I had had some minor success healing small scrapes and stuff before… and River Dog's ankle. I touched Mister Valenti's temple with the tips of my fingers, and Jim looked at me…**

**"What are you doing, Michael?"**

**"I don't know. I might be able to help him… to open his mind… just a little. I can't heal whatever's wrong, but…"**

**Jim nodded. "Do it."**

**I took a deep breath and concentrated. I could feel Mister Valenti's emotions. I couldn't sort them out, though. They were like a train wreck, all piled up on top of each other. I concentrated on separating a few of the "wrecked cars." Then Mister Valenti turned his head and looked at me.**

**"You!"**

**I wasn't sure what to say. One part of me was terrified and just wanted to run away… but another part wanted to stay. The elder Valenti looked at his son, the sheriff…**

**"Jimmy!"**

**"Dad!"**

**He looked back at me again and then, oddly, seemed to relax. It wasn't what I had expected at all, and I was prepared for almost anything. He seemed to be collecting his thoughts, then he turned his head back toward Jim…**

**"Priorities, Jimmy… isn't that what you were talking about?"**

**"Yeah, Dad, it was."**

**"I think I… understand."**

**He looked at me and seemed to smile slightly, but his face was weathered with the grief of years…**

**"Thank you…"**

**"S'okay. I didn't do anything."**

**"I know. And thank you."**

**He did know. And I knew that he knew. I think he had come to terms with some things. He seemed oddly more at peace with himself than before, and he started to talk again… much more lucidly than in the past.**

**_I did help Hubble. We tracked him. We were just going to get the truth. He told me he wouldn't hurt the man._**

**This hit Jim like a cannonball, and he recoiled, with a look of disbelief in his eyes.**

**_Hubble shot him! Didn't he?! HE shot the drifter, not you!_**

**_Whatever you do, Jimmy, don't trust him._**

**"Dad, where would Hubble take someone to carry out his 'justice' if he thought they were the one he was looking for?"**

**The elder Valenti thought, but only for a moment. "Bitter Lake… by Pepper's Café. That's where Sheila was murdered. If he's onto someone, Jimmy…" **

**"Dad, I'm sorry, but we have to go! I think someone is in a lot more danger than I realized! I promise we'll come back to see you tomorrow, okay? I promise! Michael, let's go!**

**He might as well have saved his breath. I was already out the door and running.**

**_Beautiful countryside, don't you think, Evans? Especially at sunset._**

**_Yeah, it's pretty cool. So, Mr. Hubble, you said you were going to answer my questions._**

**_Pull over to the side there. I want to show you something. You recognize it?_**

**_I've never been here. …Mr. Hubble, if we're gonna make Bitter Lake and back in time for the panel…_**

**As we were racing to save Max, Hubble was talking Max up about what had happened to his wife, who had been going to break the news to Hubble that she was expecting a baby, the night she was killed in front of Pepper's café. He was convinced that Max was the one who had killed her, and he wanted Max to remember it vividly… before he killed him.**

**_Four innocent people lost their lives startin' that day. My wife, my baby… that drifter, and, uh… and me. Dead man walking. That's what I felt all those years. Only thing kept me alive was you._**

**_Me? But… but I don't know you._**

**_I know you._ **

**Hubble pulled out a handgun and aimed it at Max; that's what I saw as we drove up, and I jumped out of sheriff Valenti's car and yelled. Hubble was so obsessed with the thought of killing Max that he hadn't noticed us drive up, and when I yelled, it distracted him long enough for Max to knock the gun out of his hand. Jim quickly maneuvered his car so that the headlights would shine on the two of them; and Max, who was on the ground and struggling in the dirt with Hubble, used his power to push the gun out of Hubble's reach.**

**_I knew it was you, you bastard! …Don't you see who he is? We have to stop him._**

**_Drop it, Hub._**

**_This son of a bitch is gonna die today, and nothing's gonna stop me, so go ahead! Unload every bullet in your chamber._**

**_It only takes one._**

**_Your father couldn't do it… and neither can you._**

**Suddenly, all the pieces came together. The elder Valenti had tried to keep Hubble from shooting the drifter but hadn't been able to bring himself to shoot Hubble to stop him. He had held out the belief that Hubble wouldn't do it until it was too late and he had done it. The elder Valenti felt responsible. The guilt consumed him. Hubble, on the other hand, apparently went his way after that, a free man, letting the elder Valenti take all the blame for the shooting. And in his condition, the elder Valenti had never set the record straight. Until now. I looked at my hands. I was no Max Evans. But maybe I had something… just enough something. And apparently, so did Jim…**

**There was a bang, and Hubble slumped to the ground. Jim turned to Max, apologizing for not having realized how dangerous Hubble was, but Max was angry that Jim had put him in danger. **

**_Get outta here. The both of you. You were never here. Go on!_**

**I urged Max to go with me. _The guy was crazy, Max, alright? He didn't know what he was talking about._**

**_I don't think he was crazy, Michael. I think the one we've been looking for has killed people… a lot of people._**

**As we left in Max's Jeep, we heard Jim placing a call for backup. _This is Sheriff Valenti. I've been involved in a code 4. I got one man down. My 10-20 is the abandoned Peppers Café at Bitter Lake._**

**Jim was true to his word. The next day he went back to see his dad… and he asked me to go with him.**

**"Naw… I don't know, Sheriff. You need personal time with your dad. I'd be a fifth wheel."**

**"You're a lot of things, Michael, but a fifth wheel is not one of them. Come on! There'll be lots of days, God willing, for me to visit with Dad privately. I think this once, we've got something to tell him… together… you and me."**

**"We keep Max out of it."**

**Jim nodded. "Just you and me… and Dad."**

**"Okay." **

**End of Episode 112**

**tbc…**


	16. Ep 113 The Mysterious Darkhaired Man

**Codename: TABASCO**

**(The Awesome Background And Secret Chronicles Of Michael Guerin)**

**==Ep 113==**

**Hey! Hey! Hey! I'm trying to tell a story over here! What's going on there anyway? Zorel?**

**"Nothing."**

**I know "nothing" when I hear it, Zorel. "Nothing" doesn't sound like a two-headed bruggi baying under a full moon… with its tails caught in a kiji stun bush!**

**"That was Andya."**

**"Zorel was telling lies, Uncle Michael… about Mama… I had to thump him." **

**"Twice! She hit me twice!"**

**Zorel?**

**"I wasn't looking, Dad. She got in a sucker punch."**

**Twice? No… Forget that… Never mind! I don't want to know about that. What'd you say to her?**

**"Ow."**

**I don't mean after she thumped you. What did you say that started this… little war?**

**"I wasn't lying, Dad, honest! I just told her that Uncle Max got drunk once, and Aunt Liz went off with a mysterious gigolo, and they hid from everyone somewhere where no one could find them. You told us about it, remember? When she won a radio contest. See, Andya! Smooch, smooch! OW! ANDYA!!!!!**

**"MICHAEL!"**

**That's not exactly how I told it, Liz! Honest!**

**"Dad! She hit me again!"**

**You deserved it, Zorel! OW! LIZ?!!!**

**"You deserved it! GIGOLO?! Exactly what DID you tell these kids, Michael?"**

**It was innocent, Liz, honest. And I didn't say that the mystery guy you dated was a gigolo. Of course… I might have said the DJ was, but… Okay okay… I think it's time I set the record straight about this… episode… for everyone's sake. Damn, Liz, that's some right hook you've got!**

**"That wasn't a right hook, Dad, she just gave you a whack on the back of the head."**

**Zorel, unless you want a whack, too… on the fanny… I suggest you make like a Dozjian Xarmet and zip it.**

**"Ooh! Hey! I saw a Dozjian Xarmet once! They have these real neat things that work like zippers on their lips, noses, and eyelids, and they sleep all zipped up. It keeps the dust out of their mouths and eyes and all… because they live on a desert planet."**

**Varec, would it be possible to adapt a Xarmet's zippers to, say, a kid… about eleven years old?**

**"I don't know why not."**

**"I'm shutting up, Dad."**

**Okay… Now… If anyone wants to hear this, here's what really happened…**

**Episode 113**

**The Mysterious Dark Haired Man (Blind Date)**

**_Goin' north on downtown main street, headed with my entourage… toward the winner of the KROZ blind dream date. An evening of fantasy and romance for one lucky listener that ends in the most exciting concert of the year, an intimate club date with a surprise mystery band that'll put this town on the map for more than just the crash… Right here at one of our finer local establishments, the CrashDown Café! Looking for our new Queen of Hearts, Miss Liz Parker!_**

**Radio station KROZ was having a contest to find itself a "Queen of Hearts," and it seems that Maria decided to enter Liz's name in the contest. To make a long story short, Liz got picked, and she won the intimate date and dinner with the "man of her dreams," as well as tickets to a concert featuring a mystery band that was supposed to "put Roswell on the map for more than just the crash." I think that's how the guy put it. Alex's band wound up playing, and Maria filled in for their singer, who had mono. But how that happened is a whole 'nother story, and we won't go there right now. Anyway, this DJ struts into the CrashDown like he's the papa peacock in the peacock harem, and he says, "Congratulations, Liz Parker, your life is about to change because we're gonna find you that dream man you've been searching for." Then he asks her what's running through her mind right at that moment, and she smiles sweetly and says, 'nothing that I can say on live radio.' **

**I always loved Liz's retorts. They're subtle and understated and tend to fly right over the heads of the boobs they're aimed at, probably because she has this innocent sort of "Who, me?" look; but to anyone with half a brain and one good ear, I gotta admit, her comebacks are pretty sharp… not altogether unlike her right hook. But I digress. Okay… I didn't hear the DJ, personally. Maria told me about it all later. But Maria does great imitations! It's like being there! Sometimes even better! **

**The thing about Max being drunk, see, is, well, Kyle had had a bit to drink. He had gone out with Liz a few times before she and Max became an item, and it seems he wasn't taking Liz's date with the mystery man any better than Max was… maybe worse, actually, if that's possible, 'cause up to then Max had been putting up at least a semi-successful front, trying to pretend that he was fine with the whole affair. Not that anyone with eyes couldn't see otherwise. But Kyle spots Max, see, and having had a few drinks already and being kind of mellow and soppy, he starts commiserating with Max, and he convinces Max to take a sip, too, not knowing that our physiology couldn't process alcohol as efficiently as his. Earthlings are eons ahead of us on that score. Drinks on Antar have a very different molecular makeup.**

**The truth is, Liz wasn't thrilled about the whole blind date contest thing. It was Maria who thought it would be a great opportunity for Liz to date a mystery guy… since Liz and Max were sort of on the outs at the moment… **

**_I don't know what the problem is, Liz. This could be big! Your dream guy! Tailor made! The human version!_**

**_Okay, Maria… 'Embarrassing,' 'humiliating,' 'mortifying…' I don't know. Pick your SAT word. I'm not forgiving you for a very, very long time!_**

**_What is wrong with a normal date with a normal guy for once? Look, it's not like Max has changed his mind or anything. He dumped you. Think about it. That's all I'm saying._**

**As far as I was concerned, at the time, Liz could run away with any mystery man she wanted, or even with the fruity DJ himself, and I would have given them my blessing. It would have freed up Max for more profitable pursuits, like looking for "Nasedo." Nasedo was one of us… the fourth alien. Max and Isabel weren't so keen about finding this "Nasedo," though. She kept reminding me that Hubble said he was a killer, and I reminded her that Hubble was a certifiable loony-toon and couldn't be trusted. But I knew more than I was admitting. Jim had told me about the mysterious alien Hubble was looking for. I knew things that, well, if Isabel had known, she would have been impossible to deal with. So I kept some stuff to myself. Maybe there were reasons for what Nasedo did. Maybe he had to do what he did. I didn't want to judge him. I wanted to find out that he was our father. And that brings me to the crux of this little story…**

**I needed Max to help me find this guy, but Maxwell was all distraught about Liz being matched up with some mystery dude by a fruity DJ. Okay, Max wasn't admitting it, but like I said, it wasn't hard to see. He acted all cool and indifferent when he thought Liz would still be his and his alone at the end of the day, even if he ignored her, but when he thought he might be about to lose her, he freaked out… big time. Yes, you did, Max! I mean, I'm not saying I'm blameless in all of this. See, I told Max… many times… that he should cool it with Liz… for all our sakes. Fine time to start following my advice! But you were acting indifferent, Max! I wouldn't blame Liz if she had run away with the mystery dude. You have to let women know that you care, if you do, Max, like me with Maria; you can't ignore them. MAX? MAX! Don't do that! Put the crabs down. Come on, I wasn't saying that you DIDN'T care about Liz back then! I just meant that you shouldn't have listened to me. Heck, [b]I[/b] didn't even listen to me! Now put the crabs down… and step away slowly. Come on… a little more. A little more… That's better.**

**"Michael, what did YOU do to show me you loved me back then?" **

**What do you mean? Maria, I did a lot of stuff to let you know I loved you! I… I made that thing for you in shop, remember? I never did that for no other girl. I did a lot of stuff for you that I never did for any other girl. I said a lot of stuff I never said to any other girl… It wasn't easy. I wasn't raised to show affection and sentimentality. Hank's idea of closeness was… mostly the reason I avoided him… or tossing me a beer to pour over my wounds… to kill the germs… after he split my head or lip open. I had no concept of how to accept real love, much less how to show it. Maybe I made some mistakes. But I changed for you, Maria. I changed my life. I came out of a shell that I had sworn never to remove. I did it… 'cause it was you."**

**"I just like to hear you remind me, Michael… of the NICE things about you, I mean. And remind yourself, 'cause there was a lot that I saw to love about you then, even inside that shell. I just didn't know where to find a hammer big enough to break it. You had to give me a little help."**

**Yeah… well, I know. I guess Max wasn't the only one who acted cool and aloof sometimes. But I did love you, Maria. You know I did. I DO love you.**

**"That's all we want to hear. Right, Liz?"**

**"Right! You hear that, Ma…x… Mmmmph… mmmmmm."**

**Aw, sheez! Okay, Max, Come on! Max! Get a room! Come up for air, Max, I've still got more of this story to tell. Max! Alright, have it your way. You and Liz can listen while you… whatever… **

**Where was I? Oh yeah, I was sayin' Ummmmph… Mari- mmmm. Oh, hell… the story… mmmm… can wait!**

**"Hey, Zorel, I just figured out why our parents always say the water's running upstairs and then disappear when they start kissing at home."**

**"Why, Maya?"**

**"Well, look at your dad. He's sweating. But it's not hot."**

**"I think it is for him."**

**"Are you up to finishing this story, Guerin?"**

**"Don't start, Kyle! I can multi-task. I can do a lot of things that baffle the less gifted like yourself."**

**"Ooh, touchy! Well, if you guys are finished bringing Yasger's farm to the other side of the universe, I for one would like to hear the rest of this story."**

**You aren't old enough to remember Yasger's farm, Kyle.**

**"I read about it."**

**Is that how you learned, uh, everything? Reading about Woodstock?**

**"I can hold my own, Michael. Trust me! There are things that don't require a book."**

**Just wondering. **

**"He can, Michael!"**

**I'll take your word for it, Jeliya. An investigation won't be necessary. Returning to the story… 'cause I think we got off the track here somewhere. Not that I'm complaining! I like sidetracks… sometimes… when… anyway… Nasedo! I was talking about Nasedo… I think. Yeah, I was. Max and Isabel and I discussed the matter of Nasedo at the CrashDown.**

**_Alright, look, Max… We know the cave painting is a map._**

**_Michael, we don't know anything._**

**_I feel it, okay? I mean, it was clear in my hallucination._**

**_Hallucination would be the key word there._**

**Max was definitely not interested in looking for Nasedo, and he didn't mince any words about it. Isabel, on the other hand, seemed to understand my need to find him, but she was no more inclined to go looking for him than Max was, which left me pretty much where I started… at first base with no hits… and two strikes. But later I decided to try one more time to convince Isabel. If anyone was going to give in it would be her. I made my way over to the Evanses' house and knocked on Isabel's window…**

**_Come in._**

**_Hey!_**

**_What're you doin'?_**

**_I think I've figured it out. I can read the map. Come on, I'll show you!_**

**_But what about the concert? Alex got us tickets!_**

**_Well, it's either the concert or discovering where we come from!_**

**_Well, what about Max? Shouldn't we at least…_**

**_What ABOUT Max? Last I heard, he didn't seem too interested, remember?_**

**_He's just worried, Michael… worried about you._**

**_Yeah, look, the only father I need is the one out there waiting for us to find him. Let's go!_**

**_Fortunately, Max wasn't using his jeep, so I borrowed it, and Isabel and I drove to the library._**

**_That means something, Isabel! It's right here on the map. Look. This is the constellation I saw in my dream… Aries the Ram! I looked it up, and this is the symbol Nasedo left us at the cave. If you take a map of Roswell and you position it properly when Aries is directly overhead, which is in April by the way, all the rest of these symbols take on locations. And this one's right here… at the library!_**

**_How'd you know how to do that, Michael?_**

**_I just knew._**

**_I don't think we should be doing this._**

**_Isabel, he sent us a signal. We've gotta send him one back. This is how we're gonna find him!_**

**_Yeah, but what if he's…_**

**_What if he's the killer? There's only one way to find out._**

**I spread some old ropes out on the grass in the shape of the symbol from the cave and poured gasoline on them. I don't know what I expected. That Nasedo would suddenly appear in the center of the burning symbol, like some demon summoned up from hell? Or maybe that he was gonna pop out like a jack-in-the-box when the crank hits the right spot? Anyway, when Nasedo didn't show up I asked Isabel to wipe out the symbol with her powers so nobody would know we'd been there. I felt dejected… disappointed… depressed… dumb… deceived. Pick your dreary "D" word. After all, Nasedo had left that symbol for us so we could find him. He must have. So why didn't he come? I decided to work out my disappointment by going to see Jim to see if he had any cases I could help him with. What a laugh, huh? Here he'd been chasing after me all this time, and I just show up on his doorstep and offer my services to him like I'm one of his deputies coming to work.**

**Well… not exactly on his doorstep…**

**"Come in, Michael."**

**"How did you know it was me? You didn't even turn around."**

**"Don't need to. Who else climbs in through my window? On the second floor? A window that's locked and bolted from the inside?"**

**"Somebody might. You never know."**

**"They might. If they're _like you."_**

**"Yeah, well, I'm not the only one 'like me.' There's that guy Hubble was looking for. Did you forget him?"**

**That thought seemed to unnerve Jim, but only for a second. He recovered quickly.**

**"Not likely, Michael. He's more interested in staying out of my sights… not placing himself in them. Whoever he is, wherever he is, he's not going to just waltz up and say hello."**

**"Yeah, so I found out."**

**"Huh?"**

**"Nothing. Look, Sheriff, I came here because… because I need to take my mind off some stuff and I thought maybe you might be able to give me one of those assignments you said you could use some help with. Something a little more 'substantial' than the last time. I want to help you solve something that you really want solved… badly. Something big."**

**Jim swallowed then exhaled a long, drawn-out breath…**

**"I'm not sayin' I don't want your help, Michael. I do, and you know it. But… if I let you go running around Roswell rounding up bad guys for me people are going to start noticing. And not just any people… City Hall! The mayor! Judge Lewis! You would be very hard to explain, Michael. Especially to Judge Lewis! He's never been my biggest fan, and he'd love to catch me making a misstep."**

**"I'll keep out of sight, Sheriff… I'll stay under the radar. Nobody else will know about me. I'm sure you must have some case that you really, really want solved… bad enough to think up some explanation for… for how you bagged the perp."**

**Jim's lips pressed involuntarily into a thin, tight line, and I knew I had him. There was something he wanted, and he wanted it bad enough to accept my help… despite the risks. He knew it. I knew it. I just had to get him to say it.**

**"Alright. Alright. You asked for it. Remember that, Michael."**

**Jim walked to his desk and pulled out a thick file. He held it in his hand for a moment, almost as though he was having second thoughts, then dropped it on the desk in front of me. I reached down and opened it cautiously. A photo. It was a middlish-aged man, probably mid thirties. Lots of tattoos. Not that I had anything against tattoos. But this guy's tattoos all seemed angry. You know, knives, snakes, demon heads, dripping blood, stuff like that. I read the name…**

**"Brad Deakin. What'd he do?"**

**"Keep reading. It's all there."**

**I scanned the list of arrests. "Nice guy! Car theft, home invasion, fraud, assault and battery, attempted murder… Is there anything this guy hasn't done?"**

**"Not much. But none of that is why I'm risking everything to let you go after him."**

**"Attempted murder seems like a pretty good reason to me."**

**"Yeah. Look at the next page, Michael."**

**I flipped the page over, and my heart caught in my throat. My eyes closed involuntarily, and I looked away.**

**"See, Michael?"**

**"Who was she?"**

**"His daughter."**

**I thought I couldn't be more shocked than I already was, but I was wrong. I glanced at the photo again and quickly covered my mouth. For a moment, I actually thought I was going to lose my lunch in my hand."**

**"Why?"**

**Jim shrugged. "Deakin wasn't living with his wife. She had the kids… and a restraining order to keep him away. But sometimes restraining orders aren't worth the paper they're written on, Michael, if the one they're supposed to be restraining feels like he has nothing to lose anymore. Deakin grabbed his daughter on her way home from school one day. Some hikers found the body the next day. Apparently, he beat her… hard. And that's not all, but… we needn't go there. Anyway… afterwards he started thinking about the possible consequences to himself if she ever got away or was rescued. He needed to get rid of the evidence of what he'd done."**

**"Her."**

**"Yeah."**

**"His own daughter!"**

**"Animals like this act in ways that are incomprehensible to the rest of us, Michael. They don't know love or honor. Just self-preservation. He choked her to death… then he took the body into the woods and poured acid over it. The only reason she was still identifiable at all was that it rained that afternoon… hard."**

**"Where is he now?"**

**"I don't know. He went into hiding after the body was identified. But he's still in Roswell, we're pretty sure of that. Probably in the woods… in a cave or somewhere. He's had a lot of survival training. This guy could live in the wild the rest of his life with no problem. But we have a more pressing problem with him than even what you've seen here."**

**I looked up, and Jim read the surprise on my face.**

**"Yeah, hard to believe, isn't it, Michael."**

**"More pressing… how?"**

**"This animal has a son… about six years old. He got the boy and took him with him into hiding."**

**"Would this guy… you know… I mean… is he…"**

**Jim shrugged. "We don't know. We think it's to get back at his ex-wife, because he left a note for her saying he was gonna raise his son to be a "real man." Apparently, he intends to bring his son up in the wild… teach him survival techniques… and raise him to be just like himself. Deakin has a twisted sense of fatherhood. Michael, I really want to get that boy away from him. He's just a child. You'll have to stay under the radar, as you so aptly pointed out yourself. Wherever you go, you'll need to have an alibi for why you're there and what you're doing. You can't ever let on that you're looking for Deakin."**

**"Maybe I can."**

**"How do you mean?"**

**"Well, Deakin is a hardcore bad dude, and he's been in prison before. He must have 'acquaintances' out there who might come looking for him… let's say, to pull the job of a lifetime… something that would guarantee them both enough money so that he could leave Roswell and live anywhere in the world as a rich man and have everything he wanted… live any way he wanted… with enough money to make corrupt local authorities look the other way. Sheriff… if I talk to anyone, I'll be, uh… Griff Jackson… a former cellmate of Deakin's who claims he just wants to find his old buddy."**

**Jim sighed. "It could work… I guess. Assuming he actually had any old 'buddies' in prison.**

**"He does now."**

**"Griff Jackson, huh?"**

**"That's me… in case you hear the name mentioned."**

**"I'll remember. I assume you plan to leave the same way you entered?"**

**"Yeah. Doors are so last year."**

**Jim smiled and laid a hand on my shoulder. Then he took it away and nodded. "Michael… thanks. And good luck… son."**

**I nodded back silently. There was nothing to say. Nothing I could say. Then I hopped out the window, after checking to see that there was no one around. Jim closed it back behind me. **

**A few blocks away, I stopped in the shadows for a moment and watched. The elementary school was just letting out, and kids were pouring out the doors, laughing, talking with each other, happy… kids just like Deakin's daughter… the same age. I rammed my fist into the side of the building and closed my eyes for a moment. What kind of animal…? No, not even an animal… What kind of monster…?**

_**And now it's time for us to check in with our Valentine's Day dream girl. We're comin' to you live from the CrashDown Café, where it's blind date quiz time with Roswell's most eligible bachelorette, Liz Parker… And may I just say to our listeners that they are missing a sweet soda shop treat by not being here to see what a knockout you really are, Liz. Even with the antennas.**_

_**Thank you.**_

_**You mean to tell me you don't already have a boyfriend?**_

_**Umm, no… not right now.**_

_**Well, whoever let you get away is gonna be kickin' himself when you're out with your dream date on Friday night. Now answer some questions for me now, Liz. Do you like blonds or brunets?**_

_**Uh, brunets.**_

_**Okay… hometown boys or out-of-towners?**_

_**Well, umm, hometown boys are okay, but…**_

_**I hear the sound of broken hearts all over Roswell. Brainiac or class clown?**_

_**Yeah, I'm not into clowns.**_

_**Open books or challenges?**_

_**Yeah, I guess I'm always up for a challenge.**_

_**It sounds like we've gotta find you a serious, dark-haired, mystery man from an exotic place by Friday night! Is Liz Parker's "Mister-Right" listening out there?**_

**Liz wasn't terribly thrilled about it, but her date with the mystery man was on the fast track and she couldn't stop it. I happened to be listening on the radio, in Max's Jeep, and I heard the DJ's comment about finding Liz a "serious, dark-haired, mystery man from an exotic place." I had to chuckle and shake my head. That description had Max written all over it! Max really did have a spell on Liz, and she couldn't see it. That's when I realized that she wouldn't be able to break free of him even if they strutted all the studs of New Mexico in front of her. She was hooked… in a serious way. I can't say I was thrilled about it, but if it had to be someone, I guess Liz was a great choice… for Max, I mean. After all, I had Maria. I was still fighting that, too, back then, but trying to forget Maria was like flapping my arms and trying to fly. It wasn't gonna happen no matter how hard I tried, and deep inside I already knew it. Isn't it funny how you know these things instinctively, even when you're in denial?**

**And Max, well, Liz's date with a mystery man was like a strong jolt of coffee in the face for him… a wake-up call that stings. And he wasn't taking it lying down. Moping outside Liz's window while she was getting ready for her date, yeah… but not lying down. **

_**What are you doing here, Max? **_

_**I couldn't just let you find another guy. I love you, Liz. I'll always love you**_**.**

**Unfortunately for Max, he got interrupted, and Liz had to leave for her mystery date. But he needed the extra shock. And he got it! Big time!**

_**Doug Shellow! Doug's a freshman at the University of New Mexico who studies ancient languages and hopes one day to be an archeologist… a job, Liz, that will take him to exotic locations all over the globe uncovering mysterious lost civilizations. And just look at that thick, luxurious head of brown hair. Go ahead, Liz. Come on, Liz, I know you want to! Just run your fingers through it, just once! Come on, he won't bite ya… Oh, yeah, that's the stuff. And now it's off for a romantic dinner for two at Chez Pierre, where we leave off and l'amour does the rest**_**. **

**Max watched from outside the restaurant, with Kyle, who was getting drunker by the second, as Liz and her mystery date ate. The DJ was really playing it up…**

_**I think our new valentines, Liz and Doug, look like they're ready for dessert**_**.**

**And Kyle… good old Kyle… wasn't helping, though he was trying to be sympathetic… Then the DJ called for Liz and Doug to kiss…**

_**Now usually this doesn't happen till the end of the evening, but how about letting us in on that first kiss, right now? Come on, Doug, just like we practiced**_**.**

_**Just like we practiced?**_** The DJ? and Doug? Practiced… together? I knew there was something weird about that DJ! Anyway, Doug dips Liz back and gives her a soft kiss, then suddenly they both take off through the kitchen and out the back door together and lose the DJ… and Max. Then Kyle offers Max a sip of his booze, but Max says he doesn't drink. **

_**Just one sip! One sip! What's it gonna do, kill you? No. No, it's gonna calm you down, man. It's gonna, just, you know… take the sting away. Just try it… Just trust me, nothin' bad's gonna happen**_**.**

**That's how Max came to be drunk. He just took one sip. That's all it takes for us. Earth alcohol is not compatible with our physiology! But it did take away Max's inhibitions, and in retrospect, that wasn't such a bad thing at that moment…**

_**We're beaten, Max.**_

_**Not unless we give up, Kyle.**_

_**Well, in case you haven't noticed, we're here in the gutter while she's off smooching with dog boy. **_

_**We're gonna win her back.**_

_**We are?**_

_**We're gonna show her how we feel about her, and she's gonna forget all about Mr. Shallow and come back to us.**_

_**Shellow.**_

_**Come on.**_

_**Well, how do we split her up, exactly, Max? Every other week? Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays… alternate Saturdays?**_

**Max and Kyle! Commiserating with each other! Talking about sharing Liz! I looked up involuntarily. For a moment, I expected to see pigs flying overhead.**

**Somehow, Max and Kyle wound up in Liz's room above the CrashDown, where Kyle decided to go diving in Liz's underwear drawer, which is where he was when Liz walked in on them. I wasn't there, but that was one time I wished I could have been. At least, I would've loved to have been a fly on the wall! Liz quickly realized that Max was drunk and started making excuses for him, and that kind of ended her date with Shellow, who was standing behind her. I guess he wasn't into drunken orgies; though from what I heard, he was so confused about what was going on that he probably would have consented to anything… if Kyle hadn't kept him in the living room away from Max and Liz so the two of them could talk. I was still listening on the radio in Max's Jeep, as the freaky DJ was having his own orgy watching what was going on… or what he thought was going on… through Liz's window. You'd've thought he was a regular peeping Tom. And I'm not saying that he wasn't. He did seem to have a lot of experience in that, uh, field. He was enjoying himself way too much! **

_**I knew it, people! Doug's already maneuvered his way into the bedroom with… another guy? This is… this is about the wackiest thing I've seen in a long time! Doug in the bedroom with another guy… while another dark-haired mystery man steals Liz away into the night! Wait a minute, what's this? Ladies and gentlemen, who is M.E., And what has he done with our dream girl?**_

**Max had made his and Liz's initials appear in a heart, in neon lights. And while the DJ was panting and moaning into his microphone, imagining everything that was going on, Liz and Max escaped together and ran down a dark street. It's probably good that the DJ didn't see what happened after that…**

_**Max! Max, please. We have to stop. Please, we have to stop.**_

_**Let's just keep running, you and me, away from here, away from everything. I see everything so clearly now. We'll go some place where no one knows us. As long as we're together, nothing else matters.**_

_**You're drunk. Nothing that you're saying is true.**_

_**It's all true, Liz. It's how I really feel. It's all just magic when I think about you**_**.**

**Max touched a lamp post and caused the light to shine in a pattern…**

_**Max, turn it off! Anyone can see!**_

_**And when I'm not with you… I go crazy**_**.**

**He touched a car, and its alarm went off.**

_**Max!**_

_**When you're here…**_

_**Oh, Max, please!**_

_**You're my dream girl, Liz.**_

_**And what if I believe you tonight?**_

_**Then we live happily ever after.**_

_**And then what about tomorrow, when you go back to realizing who you really are and all of your fantasies go away?**_

_**I'll still have you.**_

_**This can never be normal, Max**_**.**

**Max touched the tops of some parking meters, and they started sparkling.**

_**What's so great about normal?**_

**At the club, later, after Liz called a taxi to take her and Max back, the DJ was waiting… and eager to make the most of the changed social situation. When Liz asked to go home, he stopped her…**

_**Hold on there, dream girl. You're not gonna get off so easy. I mean, look at these guys. You got 'em hanging on by a string, and I think you owe it to them, and the KROZ listeners, to make a choice here and now. Will it be Doug, the dream man we chose for you, the ex-boyfriend, Lyle,**_

_**Kyle!**_

_**Or Max, who kidnapped you, and vandalized your home? What do you have to say for yourselves, men? Doug?**_

_**I thought she just wanted a normal date.**_

_**Ok, go for it, Kyle.**_

_**Hey, I'm just happy to be nominated… and I think I'm gonna puke.**_

_**Alright, well, convince her, Max**_**.**

**Max stepped forward and put his arms around Liz then gave her a long and very passionate kiss. When he did, they both saw flashbacks of all the good times they had spent together. And for the first time, the DJ said something intelligent…**

_**Well, it looks like we've found our winner**_**.**

**Unfortunately, Max's uninhibitedness wore off at that moment, and he started apologizing. Then he walked away. Liz ran after him…**

_**Wait, Max! Max! Did you really mean everything that you said when we were alone tonight?**_

_**I don't remember. What did I say? I didn't mean to ruin your night.**_

_**You didn't**_**.**

**Ah, Max! Even the DJ could see that you were the one Liz really wanted. I mean, everybody could see it. But you couldn't make yourself say what you really felt in your heart without something to pry loose those kingly inhibitions! Well, don't despair, Liz. I hear there's a little bottle store near the capitol in Washington D.C., not far from Dan Klein's office. He and Diane'll be happy to bring you back a few bottles from time to time to keep Max mellow.**

**"You don't need to feel sorry for Liz, Michael. She sees my non-kingly person every day these days. And I'm plenty mellow these days… with Liz anyway. I don't need the earth booze, thank you. Keep it for yourself."**

**I don't need anything but Maria.**

**"And I don't need anything but Liz… and my kids."**

**Well, yeah, of course. I meant that I don't need anything else **_**"that way," **_**you know what I meant. Of course, I need my kids, too!**

**"We've all changed, Michael. We're not crazy teenagers from **_**'out there somewhere'**_** trying to find our way and feeling insecure and unsure of what we're even supposed to be anymore."**

**No, you're right. We're crazy parents trying to keep our sanity… when one of our kids repeats something we said and puts his own spin on it.**

**"But we love 'em."**

**That we do. But I still think the Dozjian Xarmet zippers could have real promise. Varec could make it work!**

**"Dad!"**

**"Just kidding, Zorel!"**

**"This looks bad, Michael. What happened?"**

**"I hit a building."**

**"Oh! What did it do to you?"**

**"It got in the way."**

**"Well, I guess that's a good reason… Look, if you don't want to tell me it's okay."**

**"Kids."**

**"Kids?"**

**"Yeah. What kind of animal kills its own kids, Max?"**

**"I don't know… None that I know of. At least, not usually. You want to talk about it?"**

**"No."**

**"Okay."**

**"It's nothing, Max. I was just thinking about Hank, I guess."**

**"Are you in danger, Michael? Is Hank hurting you? I mean, I know he's pretty mean sometimes… when he's drinking. But if you need help, well, Dad's an attorney, you know…"**

**"No. Forget it, Max. I shouldn't have said anything. I was just… thinking about stuff I've got to do… taking care of a demon."**

**"Your hand's fine now. I can fix stuff like that, Michael. It's the other stuff that worries me. I hope you crush your demon."**

**"I will, Max. Believe me! I will… when I find it! Oh! And thanks for taking care of my hand."**

**"No sweat. I'm sure the building got the worst of it."**

**"Yeah."**

**End of Episode 113**

**tbc**


	17. Ep 114 Into The Morning

**Codename: TABASCO MG**

**(The Awesome Background And Secret Chronicles Of Michael Guerin)**

**Episode 114**

**Into The Morning **

**(Independence Day)**

**As Michael continues his story, Maria waves her hand to get his attention…**

**"Michael, Najiyah has a request." **

**Who?**

**"You know… the muse."**

**"Oh! I didn't… well, I guess I didn't know muses had names. Sorry. I should have asked."**

**Najiyah smiled. "You can just call me Naji. All the other muses do. I would like to hear about how you became emancipated."**

**Emancipated. Okay, well… you see… that was kind of a hard time in my life for me to talk about. Of course, I'm over it now, though, so I guess it's okay. Actually, that happened right about at this time in my story, so I'll have to tell you about it anyway if you're going to understand the rest of the story. **

**As I said, the period leading up to and right before my emancipation was the hardest time in my life, emotionally, except for when all the children on Antar disappeared and we thought they were all dead. But that happened much later, after we were on Antar. The day I was emancipated… You know, I still get a kind of… I don't know… something… when I remember it. But it's okay! Yeah! I'll talk about it… **

**You kids don't know how lucky you are to grow up loved and wanted, with real parents, or at least someone who loves you and cares about you. You already know about Max and Isabel and me… how we were sent to Earth and "reborn" there, in a manner of speaking. And you know about Max and Isabel's adoptive parents, the Evanses, because they're some of your grandparents. Max and Isabel were lucky. The Evanses found them and adopted them and were good parents. I was discovered later and was put into the foster kid system. That works sometimes, 'cause not everybody is like **_**him**_**. But other times you got… **

**Hank. I can still see him… staggering… drunk… yelling at me to do the wash and cook his dinner. Hank didn't want a child, he wanted a slave, someone he could push around and force to do all the chores for him. Someone he could beat up on all the time and take out his frustrations on. But at the end of the day, he was all I had to go home to, and his dump of an old trailer was where I lived, such as it was… **

**Until I was emancipated. **

**We'll get to that in a minute, but let's go back a bit first…**

**Around the time right before I was emancipated Maria was still trying to get over me. She even got some kind of herbal drops or something from her mother's shop and was taking them as a kind of… what was it you called it, Maria? Grief relief? Yeah, that was it. Grief relief. She gave Liz some, too… to try to get over Max.**

**(Maria digs down into her bag and pulls out a little bottle. With a smirk, she tosses it to Michael, who looks at it, puzzled.)**

**What's this?**

**"My Anti-Michael Grief Relief. It didn't work."**

**You've still got it? Didn't you say veterinarians used this stuff to calm wild animals?**

**"Yeah, but you had a way of making my wild heart rip right out of its cage, Michael. It was useless against you."**

**Why did you keep it?**

**"I don't know. It's sort of iconic. It reminds me, whenever I need to remember, that no matter how bad things might seem, our love will always pull us through… Our love is indomitable."**

**Here. Catch. Put it back in your bag. **

**"Aren't you afraid I'll take some?"**

**If it brings us another twelve years like the last twelve, I'm all for it… iconically speaking. Besides, your heart and mine are too fierce to be calmed by any common herbal remedy, Maria. The only thing that is good for us is each other.**

**(Unable to stand any more, Kyle groans. "Let's get on with the story, Michael! Next the two of you will be going on like Romeo and Juliet, saying how much you love each other, and I'll never get to hear the rest of this story!")**

**I was just getting to that, Kyle… Maria, I love you.**

**"I love you, too, Michael."**

**(Amidst a chorus of "Awwwws" from Liz, Isabel, Jeliya, Amy, and the others, Kyle melodramatically drops to the sand and covers his ears, pretending to be in agony. But Jeliya quickly hushes him up... in her own way. By the time she is finished, he has momentarily but completely forgotten what Michael was talking about.)**

**Kyle… you're holding things up, man. I'm telling my story, remember?**

**"Uh, sorry. What… Um… I mean, uh… Where were you?"**

**(Michael grins and winks at Maria) Another alien conquest!**

**Okay everyone, as much as I hate to change the topic here… especially with Maria… I'm going to tell you about my emancipation… if I can take all these ups and downs…**

**I got home that day… Well, actually, I never liked calling it 'home.' I always called it 'Hank's trailer.' That's what it really was. But like I said before, it was kinda all I had. Anyway, there were some things I had to do on the way back ho-… to Hank's trailer… after school… so I got there later than usual, and Hank was waiting for me. He was drunk. Nothing new there. He wanted to know why I hadn't done the wash, and I told him to do it himself. Then he threw a beer bottle at me, but I dodged it. Bad went to worse, and he became physical, yanking me around and slapping and hitting me like I was a punching bag. I tried to twist loose from him, and the next thing I knew, his fist smashed into my face… hard. I saw stars. But worse than the pain was knowing that I had the means to protect myself and couldn't. I couldn't control my powers, especially when I was upset, so I kept them in check. I couldn't take another life. Not even a lowlife like Hank. **

**The next morning, Isabel noticed I was avoiding her at school. I didn't want her to see my black eye. I was avoiding Max, too, but Max tricked me by opening the door to the men's room like he was going out and then closing it, and when I came out of the stall he was still standing there. So he saw it. He wasn't very happy about it. I made him promise not to tell anyone, and he healed it so I could go to class.**

_**How did it happen?**_

**_He was drunk._**

_**Hank? Has it happened before?**_

_**Coupla times. This was the worst though.**_

_**Michael…**_

_**Don't. I don't want you feeling sorry for me. I don't want anyone feeling sorry for me.**_

**Later that day, I saw Max and Isabel together, and I could tell by the looks on their faces that he had told her. I couldn't really hold it against him, though. Even back then Isabel had ways of picking up on stuff, and I knew she would probably get it out of him. I had just hoped that he would hold out longer than he did.**

_**You told her.**_

_**Michael!**_

_**What are you gonna do, pretend it didn't happen? You have to do something!**_

_**Like what, Isabel?**_

_**Tell someone… report him.**_

_**Yeah, who? Valenti? Yeah, that'd be a smart idea, wouldn't it?**_

**Max and Isabel didn't know about my "truce" with Valenti, and they were still suspicious of him. I encouraged that, I guess. But the truth is, I didn't tell Jim everything myself, and I certainly wasn't ready to tell him about what Hank was doing to me. I couldn't talk about it. Not to him or anybody. Maybe him most of all. But Isabel wasn't making it easy either…**

_**Max told me this has happened before, Michael.**_

_**I'm sorry, but I had to tell her.**_

_**Look, you guys, everybody's got problems. If it wasn't this, it'd be another thing. I'm a big boy. I can handle it. **_

_**Maybe you could talk to my dad. He's a lawyer. He could help. He once told me about this… this case he had where he helped a minor get permission to live on his own.**_

_**Forget it, Iz. The last thing we need is for me to go to the courts and bring all this attention to us.**_

_**Well, if he hurts you again, Michael…**_

_**He won't.**_

_**You could use your powers.**_

_**I had to stop myself last night. I can't control my powers like you and Max. You guys know that. Especially in the state of mind I'm in. If I did anything I'd probably kill him.**_

_**Well, all I know is you can't go back there. So stay with us… at least until Hank calms down.**_

_**Fine… if it's gonna shut you and Max up.**_

**Yeah, I know, it wasn't my finest moment. But I was hurting. Not on the outside… I could handle that. On the inside. That's what I couldn't talk about. I wanted to keep it all… all my emotions, you know… bottled up inside me. Big mistake, but what'd I know? I was just a kid, and I wasn't raised with lots of love and flowery feelings. I grew up with bumps on the head if I wasn't fast enough to duck in time… and then, of course, there was the black eye. Hank used to hit me lots, but he'd never actually left a whole lot of evidence before that, maybe because I always ducked in time. Max and Isabel, see, they grew up loved. I didn't even know what it felt like to be loved… I… What are you doing, Jayyd? You want to sit on my lap? Okay, come on.**

**(Jayyd crawls over onto Michael's lap and looks up at him adoringly) "I love you, Daddy."**

**(After a short break… to recompose himself… Michael resumes his story. But now all three of his and Maria's children and several of the others are in his lap or hanging onto him. And Maria is at his side, her head resting on his shoulder. Michael obviously feels comfortable with them in a way that he never could have felt with anyone when he was living with Hank. And he isn't afraid to admit it…)**

**See, this life I have now… my family… my friends… they mean everything to me. Everything! But I wouldn't have known how to handle this before, when I lived with Hank. It's something I had to learn… or maybe not so much learn as experience. I had to open myself and my heart up to someone first. That was what Maria taught me. She saved my life. Despite all our fighting, we were alike in so many ways… still are. She's the only one who ever could have saved me. She was the only one I ever truly felt comfortable with… besides Max and Isabel, of course. **

**Max and Isabel did try to pull me into their world. Their parents even gave me a chance and let me stay with them. It just wasn't working. Hank had too much of a hold on me. I didn't know how to live with real people, people who had manners and everything, and I couldn't see the Evanses' generosity as being just that and nothing more. With Hank, everything had a motive. You always had to look for the motive. But the Evanses… I couldn't find their motive, and it made me crazy. I was suspicious of everything they did, and my behavior drove me out of their house and right back to Hank's trailer.**

**On the way back, I had the feeling that maybe I was the only person in the world like me. Maybe I deserved Hank. Maybe I was really the bad one. I mean, the Evanses were good people and I couldn't make it with them. Hank was my karma or something. He was what I deserved. Then I saw Amy carrying an armload of pies, and I thought, yeah, I'm the only one. Maria's mom loves her. She bakes pies for her… and sometimes for the sheriff, too. Valenti and Maria have Amy. Max and Isabel have their parents. I have Hank. Yeah. It's me. It must be.**

**But then I remembered the lowlife scum that Jim had showed me the picture of, the one that killed his daughter. She didn't deserve what happened to her. How could any child deserve that? And if she didn't deserve it, maybe I didn't either. Maybe it was Hank who was the bad one after all. But where did that leave me?**

**When I got back to the trailer, Hank was waiting… again. And he was furious that I hadn't been there to do his chores.**

_**Where the hell have you been?**_

**I tried to just avoid trouble by going to my room and lying down on my bed quietly, but Hank followed me…**

_**I told you to do the wash.**_

_**I'll do it later.**_

_**Today!**_

_**I'm not your maid.**_

_**Oh, you're right! You're good for nothing. Do the wash now!**_

_**Go to hell, Hank.**_

_**No wonder your parents left you out in the desert! Who'd want you?**_

_**Who are you, father of the year? You're a man who keeps me around just to collect a monthly check!**_

**The yelling got louder, and Hank walked out of the room momentarily… probably to find something to throw at me. But as luck would have it, Max and Isabel showed up and heard the ruckus. I wasn't exactly expecting company at that moment…**

_**What are you guys doing here?**_

_**We heard some yelling.**_

_**What's going on?**_

**I tried to get them to go before Hank saw them, but no such luck.**

_**Well, hello, Dolly!**_

_**Shut up Hank,**_** I said, warning him, but he was kind of single minded.**

_**Yeah! Wanna have a drink with me?**_

_**She doesn't want a drink!**_

_**Who the hell are you, her lawyer?**_

_**Leave her alone, Hank, all right?**_

_**I asked her a question. I'm waiting for her answer.**_

**I could'a told Hank that you don't mess with Isabel, but it wouldn't'a done any good. Besides, I kind of enjoyed watching her throw his drink in his face… and hearing her tell him off. **

_**If you ever touch Michael again, I will kill you!**_

**Unfortunately, I knew she had ignited a firestorm. Furious, Hank grabbed his gun and pointed it at Max. Max backed up and tried to calm Hank down, but Hank had been humiliated, and now he had to exact a pound of someone's flesh to feel superior again. Something major bad was about to happen. I never really planned it, or even thought it, but my powers just kind of took over and I threw a chair across the room and caused some doors and stuff to slam around. Then I messed with Hank's gun, making it jump around in his hand. That part was intentional. It went off safely, away from Max, and Hank totally freaked…**

_**What the hell! Oh, you little bastard! You're a freak! I always knew it! You're a freak!**_

**Max insisted we go quickly, and Isabel tried to reassure me by saying that Hank was drunk and wouldn't remember anything that had happened in the morning, but I knew I couldn't go back again.**

_**You just don't get it, do ya? I know Hank's a jerk, but that's the only thing I had, and now you guys screwed that up for good.**_

_**Look, just come back with us for now.**_

_**For how long, Max? I mean… two days… three days? What's that gonna do? I… I don't belong there. I don't belong there, I don't belong here, I don't belong anywhere!**_

_**Michael, we understand why…**_

_**No, you don't, Isabel! You don't understand!**_

_**So you got a raw deal. No one's saying that you didn't. But, God, Michael! You finally have a chance to change it. Would it kill you to ask for help… just once in your life?**_

_**Yeah, you know what, it would!**_

_**Where are you going?**_

_**Doesn't matter.**_

_**Michael wait!**_

**I didn't tell Max or Iz, but I had something else on my mind. There wasn't much, really, that I could do to Hank. Technically, all he'd done was be a jerk, a drunk, and a lousy foster father… and he gave me a black eye. But it was me he did it to. I could handle it. There was somebody else who had gotten a much worse deal, someone innocent and helpless, who was dead… and a little boy who still needed to be saved.**

**At the sheriff's station, Jim was taking it easy, letting all that pie that Amy had baked for him settle on his stomach. Of course, I suspect that the pie wasn't what tired him out. It was what you call the "bait," and the sheriff was the fish. He took the bait… hook, line and sinker, as they say. I know this, because Maria told me later. She took Liz back to her house to study, and the sheriff's hat was sitting there, and Maria accidentally sat on it. Then Liz spotted a half eaten coconut pie, and they put two and two together. Not a hard equation… even for me. But, hey! The sheriff was a free man at the time, and Amy was single, so… I guess they had a right to… eat all the coconut pie they wanted, right?**

**But what I was going to say is that he was sitting there at his desk, letting his pie settle, when Hansen came in with a bulletin…**

**"Sheriff, someone's been asking around about that guy you been lookin' for, Brad Deakin… someone by the name of Griff Jackson. Apparently, they were cellmates a while back, and Jackson wants to look him up again… for old times sake. He didn't say much more than that, at least not to my informant. But the word on the street is he really wants Deakin to join him for some kind of big score that's going down soon. Should I find this Jackson guy and bring him in for questioning?"**

**Jim smiled and shook his head. "No, I don't think so. Let Jackson find him first… if he can. Then we'll see what we want to do."**

**"Yes, sir."**

**It didn't take me long to find someone who knew Deakin. Actually, I didn't find him, he found me. Seems news flies fast on the street, and this guy wanted a piece of the action Deakin was supposedly gonna get. I went along with him…**

**"What's your name?"**

**"**_**Big D**_**. That's all you need to know. That's what everybody in the pen called me."**

**"Why? Never mind! Where do you know Deakin from?"**

**"Come on, where does anyone know Brad from, man? The big house, where else? But I don't remember ever seeing you."**

**"I kept a low profile. It helps me survive."**

_**Big D**_** looked me over and grinned. "I can imagine."**

**I didn't like what he was thinking, but I decided to ignore it. He didn't know what I was capable of. **

**When were you there… in the big house, D?"**

**"Four years ago. Burglary. Deakin was in for grand theft auto."**

**"Ah, well… I knew him several years before that. He was in for assault and battery."**

**"Yeah. Deakin's been up several times for that. He has a control issue."**

**"I know. Where can I find him?"**

**"How would I know?"**

**"Well, if you don't know, then I don't need you. Deakin and I can pull this job off together, just the two of us, once I find him. Twenty-three million split two ways is better than twenty-three million split three ways anyway."**

**"Twenty-three… MILLION?!!!"**

**"Keep your voice down!"**

**"Twenty-three million?"**

**"That I know of. Could be a lot more."**

**"Look, I don't know where Brad is… exactly. But I could probably… maybe… if I had a good reason… I might could find him."**

**"What would be a good reason?"**

**"A cut of twenty-three million… an equal cut. If I find him for you, you've got to let me in on the job. Otherwise, find him yourself. You never will. The terrain in that area is…"**

**"In what area?"**

**"Never mind. I was just surmising. I mean, if Deakin was gonna be hiding out somewhere it'd be somewhere hard to find, right?"**

**"I imagine so."**

**"Well, it would. That's all I was sayin'."**

**"Okay, so sayin' I cut you in for a third… and sayin' Deakin goes along with it…"**

**"He will."**

**"Pretty sure, huh?"**

**"Trust me!"**

**"I'll trust you when I see Brad in front of me."**

**"Tomorrow. 2 PM. Here. Meet me and I'll take you to him."**

**"No deal. Take me right now or forget it."**

**"No way, man! Out of the question! I gotta make some preparations first."**

**I knew what **_**Big D**_** meant by "preparations." He would be packing… carrying a gun… in case he found out I wasn't who I said I was. And he was probably going to let Deakin know we were coming. I couldn't let him do that. So I turned and started to walk away. **

**"Wait! Hey, look, guy, if it's that urgent… Brad's not gonna like it, you understand… but he'd have a bigger fit if he missed out on a cut of twenty-three million. You stay in front of me while we walk, though. I don't trust you."**

**"I don't trust you either. We'll walk side by side."**

**With the matter of our mutual distrust settled, we headed off together. I knew **_**Big D**_** was likely to try to double cross me, so I was watching him closely. But after walking for almost two hours, most of it through the desert, he still hadn't tried anything, and for a moment, I began to think I might have been wrong. Maybe he really had bought my story completely. But I wasn't counting on it. Guys like that… you can't turn your back on them or get too relaxed, ever. They're like a snake. They strike when least expected.**

**I'm not sure how long we walked. I remember thinking that a couple of hours more and we were going to have to spend the night out here. Then he stopped, on the edge of a high bluff. About twenty-five or thirty feet down, I could see a good-sized ledge. It was another fifty feet past that, at least, to the bottom, though that was only a guess. While I was looking down, D whipped out this long rope from behind some big rocks nearby and holds it up ceremoniously.**

**"What's that?"**

**"That, sweetheart, is the second fastest way to get down this bluff."**

**"What's the first fastest way?"**

**"I give you a push. Unless pretty boy can sprout wings, I don't recommend it."**

**"I'll take the second fastest way."**

**Something about this guy, Big D, was annoying me more and more the longer I was with him. Even when he didn't talk he was just… slimy. And when he did talk… He didn't have a clue what I was capable of. "Pretty Boy!" Right! I could've fried his a- uh… steroid… his asteroid… crispier than CrashDown bacon in a grease fire! With a single fireball, or even a mere touch on the shoulder, I could've turned him into something considerably more likeable… ashes. But I decided that this wasn't the time to go proving that. So anyway, he tied the rope around a big rock and we both tested it to make sure it wasn't going to slip, then he motioned to me to slide down it. I figured I'd rather not have him coming down on top of me, so I started looking for an excuse not to go first…**

**"I never rappelled before. You better show me how to do it." **

**Hey, the "show me how to do it" routine worked for Gretel when she pushed the witch into the oven, right? I just hoped Big D would fall for it, too.**

**He grinned one of his oily grins and nodded. "I'll show ya, all right. I'll show ya lots of things you never knew about."**

_**Yeah, just try it… and I'll show you some things you never knew about,**_** I thought to myself silently. **_**See how you like all your parts rearranged and… uh… ping pong balls hanging out your ears.**_

**I watched Big D slide down the rope, a few feet at a time, trying to avoid rope burn. Obviously, rappelling wasn't his area of expertise either, but eventually he made it to the ledge, then he motioned to me. I decided he wouldn't know the difference if I used my powers just a little bit, so I held onto the rope and slid down, a bit more quickly than I had intended to. When I got to the bottom I noticed that D was staring at my hands…**

**"How did you do that without getting rope burns?"**

**I shrugged. "I'm light, I guess. And I didn't hold on good. I kind of fell."**

**"Yeah, well, light or not, you're lucky you didn't kill yourself! Try not to fall off the ledge."**

**I looked around and immediately noticed that there was a cave in the wall behind us.**

**"Is that where Deakin is hiding?"**

**"You'll know soon enough. Come on."**

**D led the way into the cave. He hadn't brought a light, since I had insisted on coming immediately, without "preparations," so it quickly got rather dark, but he seemed to know the way. I think Max and Isabel and I were given improved vision and hearing, 'cause I could make out my surroundings somewhat; but D was having to feel his way around. We didn't have to go very far into the cave. After about two minutes, we rounded a corner and D moved a big rock out of the way, and suddenly there was light… from a large battery-type lantern… and right in front of me, squatting against a wall like a coiled rattlesnake, trying not to be seen, was the man from Sheriff Valenti's mug shot, Brad Deakin. I had found him. I had actually found him. Now the question was… what was I going to do with him? I didn't have to wonder for long… **

**As soon as he saw me, Deakin reacted, leaping to his feet, with an AK-47 in his hands… aimed right at my head. I put my hands up and glanced over at D and back. D coughed nervously and made an effort to intervene…**

**"Brad, don't shoot. He's with me."**

**"I told you not to bring anyone else here, Dudley. I may decide to shoot you both for this."**

**"Hear what he has to say first, Brad. There's a lot of money involved… millions! Besides, you do know him. His name is Griff Jackson. He was in stir with you once."**

**"I don't remember any Griff Jackson."**

**I swallowed hard and shrugged… "You probably wouldn't remember me. I was in solitary most of the time, and when I wasn't, I kept a low profile. Most of the guys in there wouldn't remember me. But I knew you."**

**"So what! Everybody there knew who I was. I'm memorable. What do you want with me?"**

**"I'm looking for someone to… Oh hell, I'll just show you…"**

**Like lightning, I whipped my hand out, and a fireball ripped Deakin's gun out of his hand. It fell to the ground a short distance away, with a heavy metallic thud. If Deakin was surprised, he didn't spend any time showing it. With the speed of a diving hawk, he dove for his gun, but in mid flight he noticed that it was now a melted piece of slag, useless unless he wanted to beat someone to death with it. Somehow, he actually managed to roll over in mid air and fall to the ground three feet from where he had originally intended. He came up quick, shooting, holding a handgun that had been hidden nearby. I deflected the bullets with an energy field, and they flew off in all directions, causing Big D to dive for cover in hysterics. If Deakin wasn't showing an appropriate sense of shock, "Big D" Dudley was making up for it in spades, crouching by the wall, his head covered, howling like a cornered hyena.**

**I let Deakin empty the gun in his hand, then another one. I suspected he had more, but he was smart enough to see that they weren't having any effect against me. I have to say, he didn't seem shocked at all. I never saw a man more like a block of ice before. No emotions at all, just pure killing instinct. He stopped momentarily and looked me over, obviously wondering what I was.**

**"I'm asking you again, what do you want with me? Did the state fuzz send you to find me?"**

**"You killed your daughter. What kind of monster kills his own daughter?"**

**Deakin was silent for a moment, but then he started talking. In fact, he was almost bragging. This caused warning bells to go off in my head. He must still think that we aren't going to be leaving here alive… at least not me. He has another Ace up his sleeve.**

**"Yeah, I killed her. So what? She was supposed to obey me. She didn't. A daughter's supposed to obey her father."**

**"You raped her."**

**"What's it to you? You some kind of saint or something?"**

**"Something. Where's the boy… Where's your son?"**

**Gears seemed to turn in Deakin's head, then he grinned… "You're working for my wife! She hired you to bring Eddie back. Well, you can tell her forget it. She's too late."**

**"What do you mean, too late?"**

**"She's too late. You're too late. The boy's dead."**

**"You killed your own son? Why?"**

**"I didn't kill him. You're killing him… right now."**

**"What do you mean, Deakin? Spit it out!"**

**"I put Eddie in a different place… just in case something like this ever happened. I see him every day and take him food and water. We go out in the desert together and I teach him things. I'm raising him to be a man… a real man… like me. But I'm not going to tell you where he is. Even if you kill me."**

**"I believe you."**

**"Then you'll understand. If his old man is going to die, it's better for him to die, too. I don't want my son growing up to be no sissy. He'll have me to raise him… or he'll have the next best thing… death. When I don't show up in the morning… how long do you think he'll last without water… in the desert? I figure about two days, maybe three tops. But the air where he is will turn stale before that. Unless I let him out, he will die. So you see the problem… Kill me, Eddie dies. Take me in -if you can- Eddie dies. It's all the same. But you will be his killer, not me. I will be innocent."**

**"Like a rattlesnake with blood on its fangs." **

**I stood there for what seemed like a very long time, thinking. Deakin wasn't going to talk. I could see that. He was serious about the boy being raised by him or no one. He was pure ice… no feelings at all. I doubted even torture would have got anything out of him… and I did consider it. Of course, I couldn't just let him go. But I had to. I didn't have a choice. I was going to have to let this son of a… a slime monster go free to save that innocent little boy's life. It wasn't an acceptable option. It was just the least unacceptable option. I had to let a little girl's killer get away… let him go scott free. I couldn't even bring myself to say it. I stared at him for what seemed like forever. It was Hank all over again. I had this great power but couldn't use it. What good were alien powers anyway? They had never been anything to me but a frustration. What use was I? I couldn't even bring a killer in for justice… or save a little boy from a life of hell. Avenger? I was useless. I was a joke. I remember thinking that maybe Maria should change the "A" she had so proudly sewn on that suit she made for me to a "W…" for "Weenie Man." Maria could have probably handled this guy. She'd have had him so bluffed he'd have told her anything she… **

**That's when it hit me. I didn't have to let Deakin go… maybe…**

**"You really think I would be here now, Deakin, if we hadn't already found Eddie, or if I wasn't wired and all this wasn't being recorded? All we needed was your confession that you killed your daughter and that you were the one who put your son in that place. Now that we've got that, I don't need anything from you. The only thing I have to decide now is whether to take you in alive… or dead. You'd be much less trouble dead. And it would save the state a ton of money… and a trial. I'm inclined to go that way myself."**

**"You're bluffing."**

**I held my hand out toward Deakin and waited, hoping that he would say something… anything at all… that might give away where the boy was hidden. He had already seen what I was capable of, so I thought he might at least be a little bit intimidated. Big D was still crouched against the wall, his head covered, whimpering. But Deakin was soulless. He either didn't believe a word I had said or he was utterly unmoved by the thought of dying. It wasn't working. I had to take the bluff deeper to get to this guy, and there was only one thing I could think of. It definitely wasn't my first choice, but I was well past first choices at this point. **

**I let my hand down, just for a moment, and turned toward Big D. I knew Deakin wouldn't miss a chance, and he didn't. Like the snake he was, he struck, and he struck fast. Pulling out a handgun that was tucked inside an inside pocket, he fired five shots at me. One hit me in the arm and the other four in the chest. I fell to the ground, bleeding, and stopped breathing. Deakin rolled me over with his foot, checking me out carefully. After satisfying himself that I was dead, he turned on Big D.**

**"You brought the fuzz here! Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you, too!"**

**"Brad… I… I… I didn't know. I swear! He said he was an old cellmate. He was going to pull a big job, worth millions, and he wanted you to help him. I knew you'd want the money."**

**"And I'll bet you expected to be right there with your hand out to cash in on the haul, too, didn't you, Dud? You brought him here because you could never resist a buck. I trusted you! You helped me burn Julie's body and hide it, and I paid you well for that, didn't I… even though you had her yourself before we killed her. You told me about that old buried army bunker under this bluff and helped me put Eddie in it. And I paid you again. But it wasn't enough, was it, Dud? It was never enough! I trusted you… enough to let you know where I was. And you put me in danger by bringing an outsider here. Lucky for me he got distracted for a moment!"**

**"Yeah! Lucky!"**

**"I said for me. Not for you." **

**There was one more bullet in Deakin's gun, and he fired it point blank. Big D collapsed to the ground, dead, with a bullet in his head.**

**At this point, I was only partially aware of what was happening, which was a definite disadvantage. If Deakin found out I wasn't dead I would be totally at his mercy, and he had none. On top of everything, the bullets in my body hurt! Seriously! With my powers, I had kept them from going in deep enough to kill me and had slowed my breathing to an imperceptible rate. But I was bleeding rather badly. And my head was starting to spin. I had to struggle not to lose consciousness. I remember thinking, through the growing fog in my head, that this might have been a very bad plan. **

**I felt Deakin drag me out of the cave and roll me over, then I felt myself falling, and I realized he had pushed me off the cliff. I think pure survival instinct took over, because I had only seconds to react, and I couldn't even think straight. But somehow I managed to create an energy net. It wasn't a very good one. I still hit the ground fifty feet below hard enough to jar my teeth and give me a major headache. As I lay there, wondering if I was still alive, it started to rain. I didn't care. I was getting soaked, and I didn't care. It actually felt kind of good. It was cool, and my body was hot. At least my head was. It hurt. The rain pounding on it took some of the pain away. **

**I don't know how long I lay there. I don't think it was long. The cold rain on my face revived me enough that I was able to stand up and stumble away in the darkness. I walked as fast as I could, knowing that when morning came, if I was still in the desert, Deakin would follow my tracks and try to finish the job. I wasn't afraid of him. I could easily kill him. But he'd take the secret of the boy's location with him to the grave. I couldn't let that happen. **

**I hadn't gone far when I saw headlights, and I waved the driver down. It was Max. He was looking for me, and someone had told him they'd seen me walking into the desert with another man. **

**"My God, Michael! What happened to you?"**

**I fell across the seat of the jeep and tried to laugh, but it hurt too bad. "I got shot, Max. Hey, don't faint or anything but… I'm asking for something I never asked you for… before. I need… your help."**

**Max ripped my shirt off and pressed his hands to one of the wounds. After a moment, the bullet disintegrated and the wound closed. **

**"It's a good thing these didn't go any deeper, Michael. Two of them are less than a centimeter from your heart. What were you thinking?"**

**For the first time, I seriously wondered that myself. But then it came back to me…**

**"There's an old army bunker… at the foot of a bluff near here, Max. Deakin has his 6-year-old son locked up in it."**

**"Who's Deakin?"**

**"Nobody. Nobody important. A lowlife who raped and killed his own daughter and kidnapped his son."**

**"I'm not even going to ask how you got involved in this, Michael."**

**"Good."**

**Max shook his head, exasperated.**

**"Look, Max… I need your help."**

**"I know, Michael. I'm healing the wounds as fast as I can."**

**"Not that. Well… that, too, but… I need you to get a message to Valenti for me."**

**"Valenti? Sheriff Valenti?! We can't tell him about this, Michael… not about you getting shot! If he ever got proof that you're different…"**

**"Max… there are things you don't know. We need to talk. But first… I have somewhere else I have to go. I need you to let Valenti know where I am… and that Deakin's son is in the old army bunker under the bluff. I'm going back to get him out."**

**"I'll help you."**

**"No, Max! You need to let Valenti know! Please!"**

**"Michael!"**

**"Max, please!"**

**Max sighed heavily, obviously unhappy. I don't know what made him do what I asked. I actually hadn't expected him to give in. He always had to be the one in charge and always got his way. But I guess he could see that I was serious. The bullet holes may have been a clue. With my energy renewed, I headed back toward the bluff, and Max tore off toward town as fast as his jeep would go. He would be back… I knew that for a fact… after he gave Valenti my message.**

**When I reached the foot of the bluff I started looking for some sign of a way in, or under, or whatever. If there was a bunker under there, there had to be an entrance. Deakin said that he took food and water to the boy every morning, so the entrance wasn't buried, it was probably just locked from the outside, or blocked with something. It was hard to see much in the dark, so I was doing a lot of feeling, but after twenty or thirty minutes, I still hadn't found a thing that wasn't part of the bluff itself. I was frustrated, but I refused to be defeated. Not now! I stepped back to look at the bluff, and as I did, I noticed something I hadn't noticed before. The sound of my own feet on the ground was different here than it had been just a few feet away. I stomped on the ground lightly. There was something hollow beneath my feet. Definitely hollow! Carefully, I swept the sand away, using my powers, and there it was… a trap door! It was locked with a padlock, which I easily took care of. Then I pulled the trap door up. **

**A concrete stairway led down into the bunker. Carefully, I walked down it into the darkness, using an energy pulse from my hand to give me some light. It was larger inside than I had expected. One could easily have put a whole military detachment in here with sleeping quarters and equipment and still had room to spare. It was going to be a lot of area to search. Then I got a break. The boy moved, and something fell. I looked where the sound had come from…**

**"Who… who are you?"**

**"My name is Michael. But I know you. You're Eddie, right?"**

**The boy nodded. "If my dad catches you here, he'll kill you. He'll hurt me, too."**

**I shook my head. "Not any more, Eddie. I'm here to make sure of that. Hank can't hurt you any more."**

**"That's not his name."**

**I cringed. "I know. I… I meant Brad… your father, Brad Deakin. He can't hurt you any more. I won't let him. Come on. I'll take you home, okay?"**

**Eddie looked unsure, but the idea of going home won out over his fears. He was terrified. Terrified of his own father. It brought tears to my eyes, and I was glad it was dark enough so that he couldn't see them. Hank was bad, but he wasn't my real father. I could walk away from Hank anytime. I wasn't even sure why I hadn't. That was going to change. I knew that now. I could never go back. Too much had changed. And too much would never change.**

**I led Eddie up the stairs and carefully closed the hatch back up. Then I turned around and took Eddie by the hand. He smiled. I held my finger up to my lips, and Eddie nodded, glancing up at the ledge fifty feet above us. He was a smart kid. Quietly, in the dark, we started to walk away. But we had gone less than thirty feet when a voice like a cannon boomed out behind us. I whirled around to look, and Deakin's massive form rose up from behind a large rocky outcrop like a dark, smothering, deadly fog. Eddie squeezed my hand tightly, in terror.**

**"Don't worry, Eddie," I said softly. "He can't hurt you now. I promise."**

**Deakin had a sawed off shotgun in his right hand and something that looked like an automatic pistol, a foreign military make, in his other hand. He pointed the shotgun at my heart…**

**"Let's see how you do against this." **

**That was all he said. The words had an icy certainty to them. Then he pulled the trigger. I was prepared, and a hastily cast energy field sent the shot scattering in all directions; but when the gun went off, Eddie dropped my hand and ran, terrified. I can't blame him. It was totally reasonable to think that I would be killed. He didn't know that I was… different.**

**Deakin didn't waste any time on words. Seeing that the shotgun blast hadn't killed me, he turned to look for the fleeing boy. I yelled, trying to distract him, but he was incredibly purpose driven. He had said it before… he would raise the boy in his own image, or he would kill him. I had no time to consider options or think about the morality of what I was doing. I couldn't put an energy field around Eddie from where I was. So I did the only thing I could do. As Deakin took aim at his son, I threw a fireball. I guess I used more power than I meant to. I didn't have real good control of my powers back then, and I didn't want to be underpowered. It turned out that wasn't a problem. Deakin disappeared in a blazing explosion of pure white light. In fact, the entire bluff and the bunker below it all disappeared, completely vaporized. Eddie stared, wide-eyed, as desert sand and rocks fell back to the ground all around us like rain. The entire sky was lit up and night was turned into day for several minutes before the light finally began to subside.**

**I held my hand out to Eddie, and he came to me…**

**"I… I'm sorry I ran. I didn't know you were an angel."**

**I smiled. "I've been called a lot of things, Eddie, but an angel… yeah, that's… that's good. I kind of like that."**

**At that moment, I looked up and saw headlights coming. The sheriff pulled up and jumped out of his vehicle, and Max jumped out on the other side.**

**Trying to dodge some small rocks that were still falling from the sky, Jim looked at the boy then at me. "We saw an explosion. I figured you'd be nearby. What happened?"**

**I shrugged, but Eddie answered for me. "It was an angel. An angel did it."**

**Max smiled. I knew that was going to come back at me, but right now I didn't care.**

**"Sheriff, what time is it?"**

**Valenti looked at his watch. "Almost ten. Why?"**

**"There's still time. Can you give me a ride into town?"**

**"That's kind of what I was hoping to do, Michael. I'll need you to come by and make a statement. You can remain unidentified."**

**"Can I do it tomorrow? I've got some other stuff I need to talk to you about tomorrow… about me… and Hank."**

**Jim nodded. "You look distraught, Michael. Is that because of Hank?"**

**I shook my head but then shrugged. "Kind of… partly… no, not really. It's me. Hank is what he is. I finally realized that. I can't change him. Nobody can. It hurts, but I'm used to it. This is worse. You saw what I did here, Sheriff. I never did that before. I never wanted to do that." **

**Valenti raised his eyebrows. "You saved a life."**

**"And took one."**

**"Yeah. I've been there, Michael. Remember Hubble? He would've killed Max if I hadn't stopped him. It never feels right, Michael, but it was what had to be. Just remember that. If you need me, Michael, I'll be there for you. You know that. Are you going home tonight?"**

**"Yeah. But not to Hank. I'll show you where to drop me off. I figured something out tonight, Sheriff. Home is not always a place… where you grow up. It's wherever your heart is. And you have to find it."**

**"Have you found it, Michael?"**

**"I think so…"**

**"And if you're wrong?"**

**I shook my head and wiped away the tears that kept trying to form. "Then there won't be anything left for me here. Not in Roswell. Maybe not anywhere. I think… my whole existence depends on this, Sheriff."**

**"Michael, you need help. You're emotionally drained. You're distraught. You're barely hanging on. I can find you a place to stay with someone who's not like Hank. Let me help."**

**I shook my head. "I don't need Hank. I know that now. I can live on my own, or with Max and Isabel. But my home… my real home… is someone else."**

**"Not a place."**

**"Not a place. Someone."**

**Valenti nodded.**

**I had the sheriff drop me off a couple of blocks from Maria's house, after saying goodbye to Eddie and assuring him that I would be there for him if he ever needed me, and I walked. It was raining, and the rain was cold. Somehow that felt… appropriate. When I got there I saw that the light was on in Maria's room. I wanted to rush to her window and yell to her to let me in. But I couldn't. I got cold feet. Maybe Maria really didn't want me after all. We hadn't been on the best of terms lately. I mean… she was taking "grief relief" pills to try to forget me. But somehow I felt, I don't know, like she was my last hope, my only hope. No, that sounds wrong. She was my everything! My whole reason for existence! As I got closer, I could see her through the window, combing her hair. I wanted to knock on the window. But I couldn't. Too much depended on what happened. So I stood there… in the rain… and just watched.**

**After a short time, she glanced out the window and saw me standing there. She grabbed her bottle of grief relief pills and took one, and I walked up to the window. I guess that's when she realized that I wasn't just a figment of her imagination. I was really there, standing in the freezing rain. **

**I think she uttered some kind of vague objections at first, but when she saw that I was wet and shivering… and saw the agony in my face… she opened the window and helped me in.**

_**God, Michael, you could get pneumonia! Here, take your shirt off. Hold on. You're shivering.**_

**She wiped a tear off of my cheek. **_**Come here. Shhh, it's okay. You don't have to tell me. It's okay.**_

**She laid me down and held me close to her, and I started to cry. It just all came out. I couldn't hold it in. It was the stress, it was the relief, it was just… everything. Maria didn't have to ask. She understood. She was my home. She has been ever since. And that's how we stayed… all night.**

**In the morning, Amy came in to wake Maria up for school and saw me in bed with her. It's a good thing Amy didn't have powers, because if she had had any, she would have made my explosion the night before look like a fizzled firecracker.**

_**Oh, Maria, Honey, you're gonna be late… Oh my God!**_

_**Oh! Mom!**_

_**Get out! Get out of this bed! Out of this bed! Out!**_

_**Take it easy!**_

_**Get out've my house!**_

**I was getting bonked on the head mercilessly, so I jumped out the window. But after I got a ways down the road and had time to reflect, I had to smile. Maria loved me! She did! She understood my agony. That was all I needed to know. The bops on the head didn't hurt after that.**

**Of course, Maria had to endure the "talk." You know, the one about sex and all. But somehow she managed to convince her mother that nothing happened…**

_**We just slept.**_

_**Yeah, I know that one. I've used that one!**_

_**You act like I have no self-control.**_

_**Oh, yes, because teenagers are known for self control, especially teenage boys.**_

_**Michael isn't like that, okay? Well, sometimes he is, but…**_

_**What?!**_

_**But not last night, all right? He was upset about something. I don't know what he was upset about, but sex was the last thing on his mind.**_

_**Oh thank you! There IS a God!**_

**Later in the morning, Sheriff Valenti sent someone to get me out of class. I figured it was because I told him I needed to talk with him about Hank… and, of course, to give my statement about Eddie's rescue. But Jim had a few unexpected questions… for me. **

_**Neighbors heard gunshots.**_

_**I don't know anything about that.**_

_**But you were there last night?**_

_**Went home to get some stuff.**_

_**What time was that?**_

_**Um, does it matter?**_

_**You were the last person to see him.**_

_**What do you mean I was the "last person to see him?"**_

_**I called the plant. He never showed up for work.**_

_**Well, maybe he's passed out somewhere. I don't keep track of him.**_

_**Neighbors also said they heard an argument. And then, later, more sounds. Screaming… crying… tortured sounds. Like an animal. Almost**__**inhuman, they said.**_

_**What are you talking about?**_

_**Where were you, son?**_

_**Out.**_

**That was the thing about Valenti. One moment he could be almost like a… a father. Then the next he could be, well, the sheriff… all business. Then… **

**"Okay, now… what was it you wanted to tell me about Hank last night,** **Michael? Oh, and about the interrogation… it's my job. Hank is missing, and like it or not, you are the only suspect I have right now… though I'm sure there must be others out there, knowing Hank. Besides, it was as good a reason as any to give you a ride over here. And I still need a statement from you about the boy, Eddie Deakin. I need you to tell me everything you saw out there. You won't be identified in the report. And about the explosion… I've already accounted for it. There was an old army bunker under you. I'm alleging that abandoned munitions in the bunker, placed there either by the army or by someone else who used the bunker after it was abandoned, maybe even Deakin himself, went off spontaneously, killing Deakin and destroying the bluff. It would be pretty hard for anyone to prove otherwise, given the evidence at the scene."**

**"Thanks, Sheriff. There was another casualty… a man known on the street as "Big D." His first name was Dudley. I don't know his last name. He was an ex-con and was in the pen at the same time as Deakin. Deakin was in at the time for grand theft auto. That may help narrow down Dudley's ID for you. Deakin shot him in the head… for bringing me there. His body was undoubtedly vaporized in the explosion, along with Deakin. Oh, and I heard Deakin say that Dudley had helped him burn Julie's body and hide it and that he had found the bunker and helped him hide Eddie in it. He was an accomplice in most of what Deakin did."**

**I wasn't really upset about the sheriff holding me temporarily. It got me out of school. But when Maria found out he had taken me in as a suspect in Hank's disappearance, she convinced her mother to go down to the station and tell Valenti that I had been with her all night and couldn't have killed Hank. I would've loved to have heard that conversation! Maria's never told me about it. But it must have been good to convince Amy to tell Valenti that her daughter had slept the whole night with his only suspect. Anyway, with Amy vouching for me, Valenti felt compelled to release me. I was no longer a suspect. Well, not officially. I still had to face Max and Isabel, who weren't so sure. But they believed me.**

**I have to confess that, at this point, I was still confused about my future. I couldn't go back to Hank… if he was even still alive. Valenti promised to find me another foster situation. But he didn't say "home." How could he? Any new foster situation was going to be unacceptable anyway. I had one "home" here, and that was Maria, and one home that I had never seen, Antar. I had no other home on this world. I didn't want to lose Maria, but I was more obsessed now than ever with finding Nasedo and finding out where we came from. So I told Max and Isabel that I was going away… to find Nasedo. They tried to get me to stay and live at their house, but I wouldn't consider it. So they gave me this pouch to take with me, and I hitched a ride out of Roswell with a trucker. On the road, I opened the pouch. It was the stones that River Dog had given us in the cave, the ones Nasedo left behind. I held them in my hands and saw flashes from the healing ceremony. These stones were from our planet. They were all we had of where we came from. But most importantly, they weren't mine; they were ours. It wasn't my heritage; it was our heritage. We belonged together. Max and Isabel tried to tell me that, but it just didn't get through before. I thought about what I told Valenti… about home not being a place but something else, something more important. I had Maria. But I also had Max and Isabel. And they had me. As long as we were together, we had a home wherever we were. I would never stop looking for Nasedo… or Antar. But I couldn't give up the home I had for one I didn't even know how to find. I had to bring us all together… in the proper time.**

**When Isabel came down to the kitchen in the morning she found me cooking breakfast.**

_**What are you doing?**_

_**Making an omelet. What does it look like?**_

_**I didn't know you could cook.**_

_**Yeah, well, uh, there's a lot you don't know about me.**_

_**Yeah. You're full of surprises.**_

_**Yup.**_

_**Thanks!**_

**Then I saw Mr. Evans coming down… **_**Good Morning.**_

_**Hello Michael.**_

_**I thought I'd cook breakfast for the family.**_

**Then Mrs. Evans came down…**

_**Ah! Well, well! What's going on here?**_

_**Uh, Michael is making breakfast for everyone.**_

_**Hmmm. Looks good!**_

**I thought it was time to pop the question I had on my mind to Mr. Evans…**

_**Uh, there's another thing, sir…**_

_**Yeah?**_

_**Uh… I was wondering if you could help me, uh… I wanna… I wanna find a way to live on my own, and I was told that it could be done.**_

_**It's complicated. You'd have to file a petition for emancipation… go before a judge.**_

_**You know, I'll do whatever it takes. I've thought about it, and I want to take control of things. And I think I'm ready to do that now, so…**_

_**Why don't you come by my office this afternoon and we'll talk. I'd like to know more about your situation. **_

_**Yeah. This afternoon then.**_

**Mr. Evans was good for his word. He got me the hearing…**

_**And does the minor, Michael Guerin, pledge to take charge of his life as an adult from here forward?**_

_**I do, your honor.**_

_**And do you understand that you will be solely responsible for your financial, educational, and medical decisions as they arise?**_

_**I do, sir.**_

_**And might I add, young man, that you are fortunate in having these folks here today, who have an interest in your future and have shown a confidence in you that is reflected in my decision. I hope you can live up to that faith.**_

_**I'll try, your honor.**_

_**I hereby grant your petition for emancipation.**_

**Oh! And as for Hank, well, he showed up in Valenti's office and said he had been down in Carlsbad or somewhere, drinking and hustling the women. He said he was selling his trailer and moving to Las Cruces and wasn't taking me along. Wanted to know if he had to sign any papers to leave me behind. Valenti told him it wouldn't be necessary… just to leave Roswell soon… the sooner the better. We didn't know it then, and we didn't find out until much later, but Nasedo killed Hank and assumed his form and ID, so the person who was in Valenti's office could have been Nasedo. We still don't know for sure if it was him or Hank. We only know that right after that, Nasedo was using Hank's form and ID. He told us himself, much later, that he had killed Hank.**

**And that's it. That's the whole story of my emancipation. I sometimes refer to those days, especially the thing with Deakin in the desert… and my life with Hank… as the long night. And my emancipation was the morning. Maria understands. It was her love that brought me through that long night… and into the morning.**

**End of Episode 114**

**tbc**


	18. Ep 115a Strong, Dangerous & Undeniable

**Codename: TABASCO: MG**

**(The Awesome Background And Secret Chronicles Of... Michael Guerin)**

**Episode 115, Part 1**

**Strong, Dangerous, and Undeniable**

**(Sexual Healing)**

**I looked at Najiyah and noticed that she seemed to be bursting to ask something else.**

**Do you have another question, Najiyah?**

**"You could tell?"**

**Yeah. Kind of.**

**Najiyah grinned and blushed ever so slightly. "I didn't know I was so obvious. But I do have a question… if you don't mind. After you got emancipated, was that when you and Max first realized you were having, you know, an actual physical affect on Maria and Liz?"**

**I smiled.**

**Well, Liz had seen stars and stuff with Max before that, I think, but yeah, after my emancipation, things started to really kind of heat up in that respect… for all of us. By 'physical' I assume you mean the glowing and stuff like that…**

**"Yeah, that and the stars and everything, too."**

**Liz was the first one to say that she had seen stars, then Maria told me that she had been seeing them, too. Later, she told me that she had made it up, because she wanted us to be close, but by then she really had seen stuff in my mind, and I had seen things in hers. It happened. But like I said, Liz noticed it first. When Max told me about it, my first thought was that if it was true maybe she might see something in that head of his that would lead us to our home planet. I even started to think that maybe it might have been planned for us to find out from Liz and Maria and that maybe we needed them to find our way back home, so I started encouraging Max to go for it, whatever it took. But Max was worried about hurting Liz.**

**It was about a week after Valentine's Day, February… the 20th! Funny I would remember that! I wonder why that stuck in my mind? Anyway, Liz had been having these weird feelings that she couldn't understand. She said they were, like, chemical… strong, dangerous, and undeniable. That's the way Max told me she said it. Just like that. She said it was like she had no choice. She was feeling all strange inside. Max went to the CrashDown to see her and found her standing over a bowl of spilled strawberries. Maria said that she had found Liz daydreaming about Max and that Liz spilled the strawberries when she interrupted her daydream. Liz went into the kitchen to get some more strawberries, and Max followed her…**

**_What are you doin' here, Max? _**

**_Well, I have orders from my planet to take over the Earth._**

**_Besides that._**

**_I want to make sure we can still be friends._**

**_Yeah. I mean, we are._**

**_Good._**

**_Why wouldn't we be?_**

**_We really haven't been able to talk since… that night._**

**_Max, people do a lot of dumb things when they're drunk. Anyway, I understand._**

**_And we're friends?_**

**_Yeah. We're friends._**

**_Just friends?_**

**_Yeah. We're just friends._**

**Liz started to leave, but Max grabbed her and they began to kiss each other passionately. Then she saw images of something flying through space. That was kind of the real beginning… for Max and me, I mean. That's when we became aware that something was really going on. Not just pretty stars and galaxy thingies. Something more. Something deep in our minds was coming out… or trying to. And we had to figure out what it was.**

**About that time, as I remember, I got a call from Valenti. Okay, actually, he picked me up from school in a squad car. It wasn't the first time, and I was starting to feel a bit self-conscious about it…**

**"Couldn't you just shine a bat light thing at the sky at night or something when you need me, Sheriff? Everybody's starting to think I'm a delinquent or something! I mean… I get picked up at school at least once a week by the sheriff! What other guys do you know that that happens to!?"**

**Jim just grinned and nodded. "Well, I do regret having to pull you away from classes for the rest of the afternoon, Michael."**

**Okay, so there's an up-side. What do you need this time, Sheriff?**

**"There's been some things going on that are kind of hard to explain, Michael."**

**Hey, look, Maria and I were just kissin'! That's all Max and Liz were doing, too! I'm sure Kyle must've done that at least… once or twice himself, Sheriff! It wasn't a crime the last time I checked.**

**Jim turned and looked at me as though he hadn't quite been expecting that and didn't know how to interpret it.**

**"Well, Michael, normally, I'd agree that kissin' is kind of innocent… and definitely not a crime… as long as you both agreed to it, though in your case I may reserve judgment until I have more information to go on."**

**He opened the door to his office and motioned for me to go in, then he followed me in. "But I didn't bring you here just for kissing, Michael. There are other things I have on my mind."**

**At that moment, Jim noticed Deputy Hansen standing there. The deputy quickly dismissed himself and left the room. Jim started to resume his speech, then his eyes suddenly grew wide and he turned and rushed out the door…**

**"Hansen! Wait a minute! Come back here!"**

**"Yes, sir, Sheriff?"**

**"Hansen, what you heard back there…"**

**"I didn't hear anything, Sheriff."**

**"Yes, you did!"**

**"No, sir, I didn't."**

**"Well… okay then… are you sure?"**

**"Nothing that'll ever leave my lips, Sheriff."**

**Hansen turned and walked away, leaving Jim with his jaw on the floor. But I saw the grin on Hansen's face. He totally knew that what the sheriff had said--or at least what he had heard of it--was out of context and innocent, and he was letting Jim think he thought otherwise. I've got to tell you, I gained a whole new respect for Hansen at that moment. I never realized he was so sly. He pulled that off slicker than a mayonnaise and banana sandwich slick on the lunchroom floor. **

**"I'll straighten it out with Hansen later, Michael. He'll understand. I'm sure he will."**

**Jim was sweating. Yep, I definitely had a new respect for Hansen!**

**"Anyway, Michael, as I was starting to say before… there've been some unusual things going on lately. There's an old radio tower out by Highway 42. Have you ever seen it?"**

**"Yeah. I know the one."**

**"Good. Somebody… or something… has been hanging around out near that tower for several days now. And whoever or whatever it is does not seem to want outsiders anywhere near there. I've had reports of ATV's turning over…"**

**"That's not unusual, Sheriff. People ride around on those uneven hills, hit a rock, and they turn them over."**

**"True. In and of itself that wouldn't be something that would get my attention, but there are other things. A ranch hand was riding by there on his horse yesterday, and he swears that his horse was knocked over by a force unseen and slid all the way to the bottom of the hill. He said it was damn lucky the horse, which is a purebred, survived with no serious injuries. I convinced him it was probably a gust of wind, but I don't believe that. Two kids, the day before, were chased down the hill by a sudden rock slide."**

**"All of those things can happen, Sheriff."**

**"I know. But it's the pattern I'm looking at. Michael… what can make a horse fall over without touching it… or an ATV… or cause an instant rockslide?"**

**I shrugged. "I might could."**

**Jim nodded. "Don't think that didn't occur to me. But it wasn't you. You were in school when it happened. I checked. That left me with one other, rather interesting possibility. Now, I admit, it's reaching… and I'm not saying there's no other possibilities, but… we know there's at least one other person like you out there, Michael. The one that killed Hubble's wife."**

**I guess I must have jumped, and Jim noticed.**

**"Does that thought scare you, Michael?"**

**"No! No, not… not really. I was just… surprised that you would think it was him, that's all."**

**"Yeah, well… you should be afraid… if it is him. He's not like you, Michael. He's cruel… ruthless… absolutely devoid of any compassion or empathy. So my question is, what does he want with you?"**

**"Me!? Why do you think he wants me?"**

**"He has your abilities. He's hanging around out there doing something that I can't even guess. And I think he's left just enough clues to lure someone out there… someone he wants to come. Do you know anyone else that might be?"**

**I shook my head. **

**"Neither did I."**

**"You want me to go out there and find him, Sheriff… if it is him?"**

**Jim winced. "I don't want you to… but I may need you to. I'm not going to hold it against you if you don't want to do this, Michael. I don't have any right to be asking you to do this. It's dangerous."**

**"So were some of the other things I did for you."**

**"I know, but this is dangerous in a different way, Michael. I'm dealing with something I don't understand here. You could be killed… or disappear. That would weigh heavy on my conscience."**

**I started to say something but decided not to. I could see that Jim was telling the truth. He was frightened to death for me. In a way I felt honored. He cared. Hank never cared. No one else ever cared. Well, Max and Isabel, but they were different. We were in this thing together the three of us. It was us against the world… a world that was alien to us in some ways, even if we couldn't say exactly what those ways were. We felt it. But Jim cared. It occurred to me that this was the absolute epitome of irony. The very person who might be sending me to my death was the one person who truly did seem to care about me. He trusted me… believed in me. I couldn't let him down.**

**I never told him this, but wild horses couldn't have kept me from going, and not just for him. This person, killer though he might be, was one of us… maybe even my real father. He would certainly have all the answers we were seeking. He could tell us about our planet, about our heritage, about our people... **

**He could take us home.**

**tbc… **


	19. Ep 115b Strong, Dangerous & Undeniable

**Codename: TABASCO: MG**

**The Awesome Background And Secret Chronicles Of... Michael Guerin)**

**Episode 115, Part 2**

**Strong, Dangerous, and Undeniable**

**(Sexual Healing)**

**I was anxious to find Nasedo, and I had no doubt that the strange occurrences out on Highway 42 near the old radio tower were his doing. But as much as I was dying to get out there, I knew that I wasn't going to be able to just take off without drawing Max and Isabel's attention, and I didn't want them tagging along this time. Call it a hunch, a suspicion, insight, whatever, but I had a feeling that Nasedo's hanging around out there waiting for us to find him wasn't entirely a philanthropic gesture. There was an element of danger involved, somehow, and I didn't want to expose Max or Isabel to it before I knew what it was. Meanwhile, I continued to encourage Max to listen to his urges and make out with Liz in hopes that she would see something in his head that would tell us something about our planet. But I don't think he needed my encouragement. Something in both of them was drawing them together like two magnets, and every time they touched, there seemed to be sparks. In fact, they were attracting a lot of unwanted attention, especially in school. **

**Maria and I were feeling something new, too, but we weren't sparking all over the place like broken live electric wires the way Max and Liz were, at least not on the outside, and this caused both of us to start exaggerating what we were seeing when we made out. But if we exaggerated a bit, we weren't being totally untruthful. When we kissed, I saw her trying to tie her red sneakers when she was a little girl. Our sparks were there, they just hadn't started popping out all over the place like Max and Liz's were doing. I guess we had thicker covers to hold them in.**

**Even though Maria wanted me to believe that she was having the same reactions and seeing the same flashes as Liz, she was actually very concerned for Liz. It was taking a noticeable toll on Liz's life, though she wasn't exactly complaining. Maria was genuinely worried that she might not survive it, and after walking in on them making out and seeing Liz looking like she was 'somewhere else' (that's the best way she could describe it) she had to say something when they were alone again. **

**_"Liz, you did not look normal."_**

**_"I didn't feel normal, Maria. I… it was the most amazing, incredible… This was different."_**

**_"Different how?"_**

**_"Um… like beyond."_**

**_"Wait… You guys didn't go… beyond?"_**

**_"No, no, no!!!"_**

**_"Gonna say… you were only out for five minutes."_**

**_"I know. Listen, Maria, if I… when… when… when I actually do it, it is not going to be in between a plate of Kielbasa and a deep fryer."_**

**Okay, like I said, it was getting pretty serious, but this was still just the 'lite' stuff… seeing stars and all. The heavy stuff was about to come. Already they were building up to it… emotionally, you know. In a lot of ways, it was affecting me and Maria, too, seeing what was going on with them. And on top of that we had our own issues, thank you. Okay, maybe I did exaggerate it to Max… just a bit…**

**_"Maxwell, let me assure you, you have not experienced anything I have not experienced many times or caused to be experienced."_**

**But as I said before, Maria couldn't stop worrying about Liz… or talking about what was happening.**

**_"Alex, if they actually do it, she'll probably explode."_**

**_"Or maybe she'll explode if they don't do it. So this was like the kiss of the millennium, huh?"_**

**_"I have never seen her like this."_**

**Later, in Astrology class, Liz dropped her pencil, and Max picked it up and passed it back to her with a note asking her to meet him in the eraser room during 6th period. When their hands touched, Liz got this really big jolt of alien electricity or something from him and saw a flood of images of a spaceship traveling through space. She kind of moaned when it happened, and Mr. Seligman stopped talking and turned around…**

**_"Ms. Parker! Have you had an insight you wish to share with the rest of the class?"_**

**_"No."_**

**_"Mister Evans?"_**

**_"I was just returning her pencil."_**

**_"I'd like to see both of you immediately after last period today in my classroom. The primordial experience known as… detention."_**

**Maria told me about it later, but I already knew… So did just about the whole school… about Liz and Max, I mean, and the moaning. That kind of thing gets around. I knew Liz had had another vision.**

**_Did you hear, Michael?_**

**_The Max-Liz thing… with the flashes? She's your friend, what do you think?_**

**_That Max and Liz have discovered some new sensation? It seems somewhat unlikely._**

**_Extremely unlikely._**

**Little did I know, or Maria either, what lay in store for us! I think we were just saving it all up for the real blow out, 'cause when it happened it was like an A-bomb was dropped on us… even for me. I'm surprised she didn't explode, because I thought I might! **

**But I'm getting ahead of myself. At the moment, it was Liz who was having the freak-outs every time she touched Max, and it was what she was seeing that I was interested in. The two of them finally managed to make it into the eraser room together, and while they were making out, Liz saw the spaceship traveling towards earth again, and this time she saw it crash into the desert. Unfortunately, they made so much noise that someone checked the eraser room, and their moms got called. I remember thinking if they'd just been quieter we might have found out something really useful about our planet. I was actually upset that they got caught, and, for a change, it wasn't because Max was getting 'involved.' I _wanted _them to make out! I wanted to know what else she could pull out of Max's head while she was in there. **

**Actually, I'm kind of surprised she didn't get sucked in and disappear forever… black holes and all, you know.**

**(Michael turned sideways and grinned as a handful of sand pelted him, then he resumed telling his story.)**

**While all this was going on, I finally managed to sneak away and make a trip out to the old radio tower on Highway 42 for Jim. I don't know what I thought I would do with Nasedo when I found him. I don't think I really thought about it. I was too obsessed with just finding him. I certainly had no intention of turning him over to Jim if I did find him, and I think Jim knew it. He was just hoping I would get a handle on what was going on and maybe this guy would go away again. But I knew it was Nasedo and he wasn't going to just go away. Not until he got what he had come for.**

**When I got there, everything looked pretty normal around the tower. I didn't see anything unusual or out of place at all. I looked for footprints, but I knew there wouldn't be any. Nasedo didn't leave footprints. He was a professional. Well, a professional something. I wasn't sure what. But I knew instinctively that he was not someone to be toyed with. If I did find him, it wasn't going to be because I was some great tracker, it was going to be because he wanted to be found.**

**And that, I decided, was the best strategy for finding him!**

**"Okay, you wanted me… Here I am!"**

**I waited, but the only sound was the wind blowing through the sagebrush and whispering through the metal braces of the old tower. It was sort of mournful, almost spooky, in a way.**

**"What are you waiting for? Are you afraid to show yourself?"**

**Again I waited for an answer, any answer, and again there was only the mournful sound of the wind as it blew over the desert floor and up through the old metal struts of the tower. I took a deep breath and let it back out slowly. If he had been there, he would have showed himself. I was pretty sure of it. I would have to try again later. But if he returned in the meantime I wanted him to know that I had been there…**

**I held out my hand and carefully burned a figure in the sand… the symbol I kept seeing in my mind… the one from the cave. Then, I started to leave. But before I could turn around, something vise-like gripped my shoulder from behind. Piston-like fingers dug mercilessly into flesh and muscle causing every nerve to scream out in pain. The grip tightened, and I wondered how much my shoulder could withstand without coming apart or the bones breaking, but I was determined not to give him any pleasure. I would bear it, in silence if need be, whatever happened.**

**~~~~~~~~~~Elsewhere: Alex & Isabel~~~~~~~~~~**

**_"Ow, hot!"_**

**_"You okay?"_**

**_"Mm-hmm. Now I have that little piece of skin hanging down from when the pizza's too hot."_**

**_"Yeah, well, um, speaking of hot… this whole Liz-Max thing…"_**

**_"Mm-hmm?"_**

**_"Well, I was just wondering, you know, in the interest of science, kissing being purported to provoke these certain insights, I wanted to, you know, offer myself as a… as a human subject available for experimentation."_**

**_"It's not gonna happen, Alex."_**

**_"Right… right… right. Thought I'd give it a shot."_**

**_"Yeah. You want some pizza?"_**

**_"Uh, yeah. Pizza's always good."_**

**~~~~~~~~~~Return to Michael~~~~~~~~~~**

**'This can't be good,' I thought to myself. Nasedo had my shoulder in a vise-like grip, and he seemed to actually be enjoying the pain I was experiencing. Of course, it could have just been his way of asserting his dominance… showing who's in control. **

**"What are you doing out here? Were you hoping that I would tell you where you came from… who you really are?"**

**"I thought I'd give it a shot."**

**"Hmm."**

**He released my shoulder, and the sudden relief that flooded through my body was almost overwhelming. Just for a moment, I became lightheaded, and I guess I staggered, and that brought an odd sort of smile to his face. I couldn't tell if it was sadism or something else.**

**"You were always the impatient one, Rath… had to have all the answers… and had to have them now."**

**~~~~~~~~~~Flashback~~~~~~~~~~**

**"We need answers, Max… and at the moment, Liz seems to be our best hope of getting them!" **

**Max shrugged. _"She said it was as if she was inside the ship looking out… when it came crashing toward Earth."_**

**_"Did she see anyone else on the ship? Like our parents?"_**

**Isabel smirked. _"Yeah, or Captain Kirk and the Klingons? You got a paper-towel holder, Michael?"_**

**_"No! What if what she saw was real?"_**

**_"It's not real. What's wrong with you guys? Max?"_**

**_"I see things from inside her head. Maybe she's seeing things stored deep inside me."_**

**_"What do you see inside her head?"_**

**_"I can't tell you, Michael. It's private."_**

**_"Since when do we keep secrets from each other, Maxwell? Come on!"_**

**_"They're Liz's personal thoughts, Michael… not secrets."_**

**_"Maxwell, if this is real… if there's any chance this is real… you owe it to us and to yourself to find out. And in the meantime, I'm gonna pursue my own avenues."_**

**~~~~~~~~~~Return to Present~~~~~~~~~~**

**I looked Nasedo in the eyes, pretending to be unaffected by his bravado.**

**"I pursue my own avenues. I don't wait for others. That always takes too long. But you seem to know that about me already."**

**"That's why I knew you'd come, because you most of all want what I know. You need it… and you want it now!"**

**"Yeah, well, that depends on what you're offering."**

**"Your lives. Is that enough?"**

**"What do you mean?"**

**"I mean that this meeting is for one purpose only."**

**"To tell me about our planet? Our people?"**

**"No. To see if I can let you live… or if you must all die."**

**(I have to admit, that comment took me by surprise, though I realize now that it shouldn't have.)**

**"What do you mean?"**

**"Come on! You're smarter than that! What does your intuition tell you? You've already guessed that I'm one of you. I can tell just by looking at you that you've guessed that much."**

**"I thought… maybe… you might be our father."**

**"In a way, I am… or was supposed to be. I'm a protector, but not for you, for someone else. Your protector is dead."**

**"You killed him?"**

**"No. They did that. The barbarians that infest this backward rock."**

**"If your job is to protect us why would you be deciding whether or not to let us live?"**

**"You still don't get it, do you? You and the others were supposed to return to Antar one day… to rule. Each of you had a protector assigned to you. But the job of the protector was not only to protect, it was to bring back a functional royal family, especially the King… and you, his Chief in Arms."**

**"I consider myself pretty functional. And I'm pretty sure Max and Isabel do, too."**

**"The very fact that you cannot recall even the smallest minutia about your former lives or your real selves tells me that you are not ready to rule Antar. You may never be. You don't even know your real names. My duty… if I cannot bring back a functional ruling family… is to destroy you. I cannot allow malfunctioning hybrids to run around the universe."**

**"Now I think I'm offended."**

**"That can be remedied."**

**I stepped back quickly, as he reached out toward me. "Uh, no thank you. I don't think I would like your remedy."**

**"I doubt you would."**

**"What would we have to do to convince you that we are… 'functional,' as you put it?"**

**"I would have to see some evidence that Rath does indeed exist in you… and that the King, Zan, still exists in the one you call Max. If I saw that, I could, perhaps, let you live. As it stands right now, the only one that I know for certain is functional is Ava, and that's because I raised her. It is unfortunate that the other protectors never had a chance to mold the rest of you…"**

**"This Ava… she's one of us?"**

**Nasedo nodded. "She is all that you are not." **

**I don't know what happened, but at that moment, a surge of confidence flooded through me like I had never felt before. Well, that's not exactly true, I had felt it before, but it had always been tinged with a healthy dose of bluff before. Now it was 100% real, and it surprised even me. Maybe me most of all! I'm honestly not sure to this day where it came from. I smirked and started to pace around Nasedo, checking him out…**

**"No! it is not that you CAN let us live, is it? If you see that we are who you think we may be, you MUST let us live. Not only that, if the other protectors have all perished, then you must continue to protect all of us. You are still bound by your honor to the King, and since I am the King's Chief in Arms, you are bound to me. I command you!"**

**For the first time, I actually saw his defenses show signs of crumbling. It wasn't a total collapse, not by a long shot, but I had seen what I had seen.**

**"I'm right, aren't I? Tell me I'm not! Say it if you can!"**

**"I… I… cannot. You are Zan's General. I must…" Nasedo stammered, before quickly recomposing himself.**

**"You must obey me!" I said for him, sensing the truth.**

**"Yes. No! I must first be sure that you're not flawed."**

**"You've seen enough, Nasedo! Leave us! But be ready. When the time comes, we will need you and your knowledge in order to overcome the odds at home. Do you believe now that I am real?"**

**Nasedo nodded. "Yes, Rath!"**

**~~~~~~~~~~Flashback: Max & Liz~~~~~~~~~~**

**_"I had to know if something was real, Liz."_**

**_"If what was real, Max?"_**

**_"Well, just like you seeing things… I've seen things. And… one of those… things…"_**

**_"You saw my fantasy?"_**

**_"I had to know if… if… what I saw was… really from you or if it was just my imagination, which it definitely… definitely could've been. Except… I've never been in the girls' locker room. And now that I see it, and… well, it… it is the same room… I know I didn't make it up."_**

**_"This is really horrible."_**

**_"No, Liz. It's incredible, really."_**

**_"This is NOT incredible."_**

**_"Wait… Please! Listen… Please… Liz! The main thing is… I didn't just see what you saw. I felt… what you felt… when you saw me. And I never thought anyone could really… ever feel that way about me."_**

**_"Really?"_**

**_"PARKER!"_**

**_"It's the coach!" Liz motioned to Max to follow her, and they hid in one of the shower stalls._**

**_"PARKER!"_**

**_Not seeing Liz, the coach left._**

**_"Uh… Liz?"_**

**_"What?"_**

**_"You have a hickey… and it's glowing."_**

**Max touched the glowing hickey and they saw a rush of images of military personnel running towards something that was beeping.**

**_"This is getting really weird, Max."_**

**~~~~~~~~~~Return to Present~~~~~~~~~~**

**I decided not to tell Max or Isabel about my meeting with Nasedo. If they knew, Isabel would be all over me for taking such a risk, and Max would be furious that I went without him. Besides, it had all been kind of weird, and I wasn't entirely sure if Nasedo's acceptance of me extended to Max and Isabel. I didn't want them to go looking for him and, you know, not come back. I would have to tell them, of course… just not yet. At a more appropriate time.**

**I went back to my apartment and found Isabel there, and we started discussing Liz and Max's visions and how they might have come about…**

**_"That would mean each of us has this information in some part of us we're just not conscious of."_**

**I nodded. _"Or she's getting messages from somewhere or someone else."_**

**_"Nasedo?"_**

**_"I don't know. I mean, why did she see the crash, the soldiers? Maybe it was all planned this way… that this is how we'd find out who we really are… by connecting with humans."_**

**_"Connecting?"_**

**_"The more they connect, the more we find out!"_**

**As we were speaking, Max came in… **

**_Uh, listen… Liz is on her way over."_**

**_"Okay, we'll leave."_**

**_"You guys don't have to leave."_**

**_"Go for it Maxwell," _I said, _"For the good of all mankind, you lucky undeserving dog!"_**

**_"Michael, that's not what this is about for me."_**

**_"Don't make me beg you to do what you and Liz obviously want to do anyway. I really don't see a problem with it."_**

**_"The problem is treating someone I care about like a thing… to be used."_**

**_"What? And that's what I'm about? Is that what you're saying?"_**

**_"The words are coming from your mouth, Michael."_**

**_"Listen, Maxwell… you are a sensitive guy. And you have available to you one of the top three seduction lines in history with, 'It's gonna help me find my home planet.' And you're refusing to use it. No guy is that sensitive. Use it!"_**

**Isabel turned off the lights and snapped her fingers, making the candles in the room light up to form a romantic atmosphere just as Liz came in.**

**_"Hi!"_**

**_"Hi!"_**

**_"How's it goin', Liz?"_**

**_"Strange."_**

**_Isabel smiled. "I'll bet!" _**

**_I motioned toward the door. "Alright, we're leaving now, but I got some Chaka Khan cued up in the CD player."_**

**_"We're leaving. Bye,"_ Isabel said again, moving toward the door.**

**Liz looked at Max. _"So you told 'em, huh."_**

**_"Yeah."_**

**_"And now everyone's just sort of cheering you on… like at a football game."_**

**_"No! No, it's… it's not like that. I mean… yes, they want us to keep going so we can find out where all this leads. But… that's not…"_**

**_"Max, I need to find out where all this leads, too. Look…"_**

**Liz showed Max a strange rash that had appeared on her shoulder. Max put his hand over it and it disappeared. Then he moved his hand down Liz's arm, and a glowing light followed his hand.**

**_"Max… do you understand any of this?"_**

**_"No."_**

**_"Can you take your shirt off?"_**

**_"Can I? Yeah."_**

**Liz tried to create a glowing light on Max's body by running her hand over his chest.**

**_"I can't do it."_**

**_"I'm glowing everywhere… my toes, my heart… You can't see it, it's on the inside!"_**

**_"…Max …you know things… about me that you, um… that you shouldn't know. And my mother… my mother, who I love, is just gonna kill me… if I don't die from this."_**

**_"You're right."_**

**_"I… can't stop."_**

**As Liz and Max began to make out again, they saw another series of images… soldiers… running towards some beeping object being buried near a radio tower. **

**But at that moment, Maria walked in, interrupting them…**

**_"My God! I was looking for Michael. Um, something tells me he isn't here."_**

**~~~~~~~~~~Later~~~~~~~~~~**

**"I don't think he's here anymore… in Roswell, I mean."**

**Jim nodded and seemed to think about it. "Did he say anything to you?"**

**"Just that he was watching us… me. He was watching me."**

**"Why?"**

**"I think he was evaluating me… to see if I was… worthy or something."**

**"Um… and what was his decision?"**

**"I'm still alive."**

**"Oh. He expects high standards, huh?"**

**"Very."**

**"Michael, I wouldn't have sent you if I'd thought…"**

**"I know. Don't worry about it. I've been looking for him, too… for some time now. I would've gone even if you'd told me not to."**

**"Well, at least you're honest. I'm glad you're back… and okay."**

**"Yeah. I'm fine."**

**~~~~~~~~~~Flasback: Liz~~~~~~~~~~**

**_"You're not fine! You're burning up, Liz!"_**

**_"Mom! Just stop it, okay? This is my body! I don't have to tell you every single thing about it!"_**

**~~~~~~~~~~Return to Present~~~~~~~~~~**

**It was our bodies. These new feelings we were having… especially Liz… were causing us all to seek a greater measure of privacy… and sometimes, to deceive those we cared about the most. Liz couldn't explain what was going on between her and Max to her mother… and didn't want to. Max didn't even like talking to me or to Isabel about it. Maria and I exaggerated what we were seeing when we made out… in the mistaken idea that we had to be like Max and Liz. We were us. We weren't Max and Liz. They had their physiology; we had ours. It wasn't less, just different. It was like there's this cork in two bottles of soda and you shake them both up. One cork blows off quick; the other one holds on until the pressure is greater before it goes off. But they both do in the end. And I deceived Max. I didn't tell him I had met with Nasedo. But that was for his protection. **

**When she got back home, Liz climbed onto her roof and started sketching something in her journal, something she had seen in her flashes, and Max showed up while she was sketching.**

**_"Liz."_**

**_"Hi."_**

**_"I couldn't sleep."_**

**_"Yeah, neither could I."_**

**Max climbed up onto the roof with her.**

**_"Hey, Max."_**

**_"Hey."_**

**_"Uh, look, Max, I saw something when we were… it was something being buried, and it felt like it was something… something important. It was here."_**

**She showed him the drawing she was sketching. **

**_"I know this, Liz! This is the old radio tower by Highway 42."_**

**_"Max, Highway 42… Isn't that…"_**

**_"Yeah. Just a couple miles from the crash."_**

**_"Well, there's something buried there."_**

**_"I should go there… with Michael."_**

**_"Is that what you really want to do, Max?"_**

**_"No."_**

**_"Look, all I know is… if we're gonna do this… we've got to do it tonight."_**

**_"Are we…?"_**

**_"Come on, let's go."_**

**Them heading off into the desert together was something I had not counted on. If I had, I would have told Max to stay away, because, to tell the truth, I wasn't sure that Nasedo didn't still want to test Max.**

**_"It should be around here somewhere, Liz… _**

**_"I guess we could just start… digging."_**

**_"Or, uh…"_**

**_"Or, um… we could look for the next clue."_**

**_"Yeah. The clue idea seems more, uh…"_**

**_"More efficient."_**

**_"Yeah. Right this minute… I can't… not touch you…"_**

**_"Let's just lie down, Max."_**

**Max unfolded a blanket he had brought with him and spread it out on the ground.**

**_"Are you scared, Liz?"_**

**_"Well, I know I'm supposed to be, but… I'm just gonna put myself in your hands."_**

**As they were getting settled onto the blanket, something howled in the distance.**

**_"What's that, Max?"_**

**_"It's a coyote."_**

**They began to kiss, and Liz wound up lying down on the blanket. But suddenly, she became aware of a beeping sound.**

**_"Omigod, Max, that's it! …That's the sound I heard in my vision."_**

**They started to dig where Liz had heard the beeping and quickly struck something with the shovel. Instantly, a bright blue light shot upward into the sky. Max dropped the shovel and lifted a glowing rock with an alien symbol on it out of the ground.**

**_It's the symbol from the cave painting._**

**_"Is this from your home?"_**

**_"I don't know."_**

**_"Maybe it's a signal for…"_**

**_"Maybe."_**

**"Whatever it is, Max, it must have been missing all these years… and it's been right here in the ground ever since the crash."**

**~~~~~~~~~~Elsewhere: Isabel & Alex~~~~~~~~~~**

**_"Max and Liz are missing."_**

**_"Missing… Okay, let me, um… let me get the keys to my car, alright? We can go and find them."_**

**_"That's okay, Alex…"_**

**Isabel stood there for a moment, as though waiting for something from Alex…**

**_"Okay."_**

**_"Okay… what?"_**

**_"Okay… and kiss me."_**

**_"K- K- Kiss you?"_**

**_"My brother's missing. I need to find him. Maybe we can generate some information."_**

**_"Right."_**

**_"Maybe I'll get a flash of their location or something, so… go ahead."_**

**_"Oh… Yes! Yes, Ma'am!"_**

**Probably wondering if he was dreaming, Alex kissed Isabel. Then she shook her head.**

**_"Nothing."_**

**_"Oh."_**

**_"Nothing relevant to the current crisis."_**

**_"Sorry."_**

**_"Okay."_**

**Isabel turned and started to walk away.**

**_"You know, I'm… I'm available for further experiments… you know… when… whenever."_**

**~~~~~~~~~~Return to Liz & Max~~~~~~~~~~**

**In the morning, Liz and Max awakened on the blanket to find someone looking at them.**

**_"This is private property. You two better get home."_**

**Max grabbed the alien rock and stuffed it into his bag, then he and Liz left. When they had disappeared from view, Nasedo turned around to leave, too, but found someone standing behind him.**

**"Where did you come from?"**

**"Apparently, the same place as you. Isn't that what you told me?"**

**"That's not what I meant."**

**"I was staying out of sight… until they left."**

**Nasedo nodded. "You thought that I might consider the King… flawed. And you were here to defend him. Well, I'm not surprised. You are his General. That was your job on Antar, to protect him… and to protect the royal family. It is still your responsibility, even here."**

**"He's not flawed."**

**"I knew that as soon as the stone responded. If he had been flawed… even in the slightest degree… the light would not have shone. He is the King. He is Zan. For now, there is nothing more for us to talk about."**

**~~~~~~~~~~Later: Maria & Me~~~~~~~~~~**

**_"…Can we talk about what happened, Michael?"_**

**_"Talk on."_**

**_"I want you to know that what I said about you being all shut down and that's why I had to fake the flashes, that was… wrong… and very unfair. If something went wrong it was because of me. I'm the one who's scared. I mean, I fake all kinds of things all the time with everybody. It's just you were the first person I actually ever admitted it to."_**

**_"Well, thanks for sayin' that, but it's not really true."_**

**_"What do you mean?"_**

**_"It's not true about you being shut down all the time. I happen to know that for a fact."_**

**_"Really? How?"_**

**_"Because you let me see you. The red sneakers, Maria… One had a Kermit patch on it, and the shoelaces were blue, and you had your Dalmatian dog with you there, licking off your tears. And I saw a whole bunch of other stuff as well. Was I right?"_**

**_"Yeah, um… that dog died when I was like seven, right after my father left."_**

**_"Kinda rough?"_**

**_"Yeah. I'd say so. I really didn't care about the stupid flashes. I just wanted us to be close."_**

**_"Thanks."_**

**I kissed Maria on the forehead and pulled her close. What the future had in store for us, neither of us could have guessed back then. We were surviving… one day at a time. We both had issues to work through. We had feelings… strong feelings… for each other, but we barely understood them. Sometimes we tried to deny them. Then destiny would slap us in the face and bring us back to our senses. When I look at Maria now, I wonder what my life would have been like without her… if things had gone differently back then… if any one of a million little things had happened differently… if we hadn't kept coming back to each other against all the odds… or if I hadn't returned to earth's past to find her after the explosion… I would still be as lost now as I was back then. Without her in my life… I would still be nothing. These beautiful children wouldn't exist. Sometimes I think the sun would have disappeared forever and nothing could have ever brought it back. But it shines now! Oh, yes, it shines! **

**Look at us now!**

**=End=**

**of Episode 115**

**tbc…**


	20. Ep 116 The Huntress And The Prey

**Codename: TABASCO: MG**

**The Awesome Background And Secret Chronicles Of... Michael Guerin**

**Episode 116**

**The Huntress And The Prey**

**(Crazy)**

**Have you ever had one of those weeks where everything you do just goes the wrong way? You know what I mean, nothing works out like you intended it at all. Well, that happened to me at sometime around this point in my story, so I might as well tell you about it. **

**I think it's no great secret to those of you who were there at the time, in Roswell, when we were teens, that I, uh, well… wasn't the suave Romeo, you know? It didn't mean I didn't love Maria… or that I didn't want to please her. I did! Max bought Liz bubble bath, and I tried to follow his lead and got Maria a bottle of shampoo… generic. Hey, it cost more than the bubble bath! And it even had conditioner in it! What'd I know? But Max had an advantage. He had a sister, Isabel, and a real family to advise him about such things. If you knew Hank, Maria's lucky I didn't give her a 6-pack of beer. I mean, he was my influence… such as it was… unfortunately.**

**That's why I asked Max for help and tried really hard to follow his lead. But it wasn't helping. Sorry, Max, you may be a great Romeo, but you're a lousy teacher! And that wasn't all that was going wrong, but we'll get to that in a minute. First, Max's "tutoring."**

**I remember there was this one day in the CrashDown, I was getting a little behind on the orders, and I told Maria and Liz to push the special. I was tired of flippin' burgers, and everybody wanted a burger. Maria made some comment about other people acting like real couples… kissing… arms around each other's shoulders… actually excited to see each other… stuff like that, and I replied that it was overrated. But it was just her timing. I had hamburger grease on my hands and sweat on my face. I didn't think she really wanted me touching her right then, and my whole mindset back then was "right then." Max didn't explain that to me. I figured it out on my own in time… with Maria's help. Actually, Max was too busy sucking face to be any help most of the time. **

**What's that, Jayyd? It's just… it's an Earth expression. It's… well… I don't know what it means. Yes, it does sound icky. Some of the terms I may use are… scientific! Earth… scientific. Not meant to be understood by little Antarian girls. You're not making it any easier for me to tell this story! Why don't you and Mareeya and Ceelya go build a sand castle or something. **

**One comment out of you, Zorel, and you won't be getting a Galactic Milkshake at the CrashDown with the rest of us after the story. I see that smirk on your face!**

**Now where was I? Oh yeah…**

**Max and Liz were going to see a movie, and Liz asked Maria to take over at the CrashDown for her. Maria told her, "Go ahead… live the life that I so desperately want," or something to that effect. She knew I was listening. I said what's the big deal? They're just a couple of horndogs looking for a place to make out, and we could do that at my apartment just as well.**

**Yes, Jayyd? Yes, those were more Earth scientific terms. We learned them in school… on Earth. We were going to study together… in my apartment. You're right, that is more reasonable than trying to study at the movies! I tried to tell Max that, but you know Max. He's the king and all. He's used to doing things his way… even back then.**

**Anyway, Max and Liz didn't go to the movie in the end. They wound up, uh… studying in his jeep, in a secluded area on a dark deserted road, at Buckley Point.**

**What? I know you can't study in the dark, Jayyd. I guess he made some light with his hands to study with… or he had a light in the jeep. Yeah, that's it. He had a light in the jeep. Use your imagination!**

**Not you, Zorel! Wipe that smile off your face. **

**Anyway, that's when things got really scary for us. While they were, uh, studying, someone ran up to the jeep and banged on the window. It was Topolsky. That's Mrs. Jim Valenti… Aunt Kathleen… now to you kids. She was really upset and scared, and she kept telling them just to act like normal kids and not to trust anyone and that they were in bigger danger than they could ever imagine. Well, that pretty much ended the… studying for the night. She told them she would find them again later and tell them more. **

**You kids know what happened to us in Roswell and all about the special unit and Pierce and all. That's what she was trying to warn us about. But I didn't trust her. Liz did. Liz said she could tell Topolsky was really scared and was telling the truth. I thought she was trying to lead us into a trap and get us to admit we were aliens. Isabel and Max agreed with me, but Alex agreed with Liz…**

**_"Do you really think she's here to warn us, Liz?"_**

**_"She wasn't the same person she was before, Alex. And the way she was talking, she seemed like she was just as scared for herself as she is for us."_**

**_"Then I say we listen."_**

**I shook my head and put my foot down… hard. **

**_"I say we don't! All right? It's just a new tactic. She scares us, makes us think we need help, and all we're really doing is admitting who we are, all right? I don't trust her and none of us should."_**

**That was a mistake, and later I changed my mind. It wasn't like I was just going to sit on this information, though. I intended to follow up on it… without the others knowing. I didn't believe Topolsky, but I wasn't born naïve either. Don't trust, but verify, as somebody said. Or was it trust but… Well, it doesn't matter. I didn't trust Topolsky at all at the time, but I fully intended to verify her story… or at least disprove it to my satisfaction. **

**At about this same time, Tess showed up and introduced herself to everyone. She was the new girl in school. Turned out, she and Isabel were going to have Phys Ed together, and they got kind of chummy. This got my antennas up a bit, too. Topolsky didn't have to tell ME not to trust anyone new. I already didn't.**

**But let me get back to Maria and me for a minute. Maria said that what we had wasn't enough, and I told Max what she said. **

**_"She wants more, Max."_**

**_"You mean like…"_**

**_"No. If that's what she wanted would I be here talking to you? She wants the romance thing, the thing that you and Liz got."_**

**_"Is that what you want?"_**

**_"I just want to make her happy. And you're gonna tell me how to do it."_**

**_"It's not like there's a handbook, Michael."_**

**_"I'm serious, Max. Things are getting frosty. She went to the French Club meeting today instead of meeting me in the eraser room. The French club! What the hell is that?!"_**

**Max started to offer advice, like treating Maria as though she were the only girl in the room or taking her to a nice restaurant or surprising her with unexpected gifts, like flowers. Then Tess came in with Isabel and wanted to know how Max knew so much about women. That pretty much ended the tutoring session.**

**But what I'm leading up to here is, Max took his own advice and asked Liz to meet him in the restaurant where they had had their first date… Señor Chow's. At least, that's what Liz thought. But it turned out it wasn't Max who sent the note. When Liz got there, Topolsky slid into the seat across from her, dressed in a disguise.**

**_"Don't draw attention to us. Just stay focused, Liz. It's the only way we're gonna make it through this."_**

**_"Why are you following us? We haven't done anything wrong!"_**

**_"You can play that game all night, or you can listen to me and maybe save all of our lives. You're smart. I knew you were the one I could get through to. They don't know I'm here. If they did…"_**

**_"Who's they?"_**

**_"The people I work for."_**

**_"The FBI?"_**

**_"It's more complicated than that. I've learned things, seen things… that no one would believe. Sometimes I don't even believe them myself."_**

**_"Where have you been all of this time?"_**

**_"To hell. And I've come out to warn you. There's a hunter… an alien hunter. He's buried deep inside the FBI. Even the president and the director are on a need-to-know basis only. Do you understand what I am saying? He answers to no one, and he will stop at nothing to get what he's looking for."_**

**_"What is he looking for?"_**

**_"Max Evans… and anyone he thinks is involved with him. All six of your names are on that list. You have to believe me."_**

**_"I believe you."_**

**_"I knew you would. We can't be seen together, do you understand? Meet me tomorrow night, behind the theater, at eight o'clock. I'll know more by then."_**

**When Liz told Max about the meeting with Topolsky the next day at school, he forbad her to have any contact with Topolsky.**

**_"Look, Max… I really think we should just trust her."_**

**_"No. No one is trying to help us. Just stay away from her."_**

**_"Max, it's not just about you guys anymore, okay? Maria, Alex, and I… we're on that list, too. I think that we should just all have a say in all of this."_**

**_"What list?"_**

**When Liz told him, Max got us all together at the quarry to discuss what we were going to do. That's when we took an actual vote. It was four to two against meeting Topolsky or having any contact with her, so Liz and Alex accepted the result. But I was starting to wonder if I was right.**

**When Liz didn't show up to meet Topolsky, Topolsky did something desperate. Jim opened the door of his office late at night and found her waiting for him in the dark.**

**_"You left without saying goodbye, Ms. Topolsky. You okay?"_**

**_"I'll never be okay again."_**

**_"You here to tell me about it?"_**

**_"I'm here because they won't listen to me."_**

**_"Who?"_**

**_"Max… Liz… none of them!"_**

**_"You're finally admitting the FBI's investigating these kids?"_**

**_"It's much worse than that!"_**

**_"You look like you could use a drink, Kathleen. What do you say we go somewhere?"_**

**I've gotta give it to Jim. He never missed an opportunity. But Topolsky wasn't accepting… then. She was genuinely scared about what she had witnessed and wanted to stay under the radar.**

_**"No! No. ****Look… everything stays a secret now or I will never make it out of this."**_

**_"Make it out of what?" _**

**_"Did you really think you could kill Everett Hubble and not send up a red flag, Jim?"_**

**_"What do you know about Hubble?"_**

**_"UFO nut. They all get tracked. He found out about Max, didn't he… at the convention? That's why you had to kill him. You're protecting those kids, too, now, aren't you?"_**

**_"All right. Why don't you just tell me what the hell you're talking about!"_**

**_"When my cover was blown, I was sent back to Washington. That's when I found out about the special unit. Alien hunters."_**

**_"In the FBI?"_**

**_"I was the first agent to make direct contact with… with the subject. I spent four weeks being debriefed by the agent in charge. His name is Pierce. And after what he did to me, I'd hate to see how he'd treat the enemy. When it was over, that's when he told me I was theirs for life. Once you know about the unit, you don't get out."_**

**_"Sounds elite. So what's the problem?"_**

**_"The problem is they kill people, and there is no one to stop them. And that is NOT why I became an agent, Jim."_**

**_"So the FBI thinks that Max Evans is an alien. Why don't they swoop in and pick him up?"_**

**_"Why haven't you? No solid proof. Fear of what he might do. He's not the only one, you know."_**

**_"This is getting a little far-fetched, I think."_**

**_"Look, Jim, your name is on that list! And you're not the first person he's destroyed over this. Now, I am trying to save your lives here, but if you don't want my help…"_**

**_"Wait, wait. Hold on! Whoa! Whoa! Hold on. Maybe we can get you some help."_**

**_"I already told you, it's too late for that. And if you don't believe me why don't you try asking your friend, Agent Stevens, what happened to HIM when he tried to get out. Pierce made an example of him for the rest of us… piece… by piece. Get them to trust me. It's the only way."_**

**After Topolsky left, Valenti did call Agent Stevens' office, and was told that he was no longer an agent. Then he called his home, and his wife told him that Agent Stevens was dead.**

**The next day, Jim showed up in the UFO Center looking for Max. He told him that he needed to be careful about any crazies that came into the center spouting loony stories about aliens and conspiracies and all… that he never knew who was really his friend and who wasn't. Stuff like that. It was all pretty cryptic. And he told Max that if anybody bothered any of us to let him know.**

**That same day, Alex was walking home and a strange car pulled up next to him…**

**_"Alex? You're Alex Whitman, aren't you? It's okay, Alex. Topolsky sent me. She knows you'd want to see her… hear what she has to say."_**

**_"Why didn't she just come herself?"_**

**_"I'll take you to her. She'll explain everything. Don't worry. I'm on your side. Get in the car."_**

**At that moment, Valenti appeared and asked if anything was wrong, and the strange driver drove off in a hurry. Jim was watching out for us. He offered Alex a ride home, and Alex hopped into the cruiser with him. Then I returned home and found my apartment all ransacked. And Topolsky was waiting in the shadows.**

**_"If I give you proof, will you believe me then?"_**

**_"Get out of my house!"_**

**She picked up the orb and held it out. _"I know what this is."_**

**_"That's a paperweight."_**

**_"It's a communicator… and there's another one just like it. I took it from the special unit evidence vault back in Washington. Now, I know they only work when they're together, so if I bring you the other one… if I risk my life for you… I need to know that you will take me with you when your people come to get you."_**

**_"You're crazy."_**

**_"No, Michael. Look, we are all going to die, and it's not going to be pleasant. We only have one chance. I will meet you tomorrow night at Buckley Point with the other communicator. If you ignore me this time… there won't be a next time."_**

**After these incidents, Max called another meeting in the quarry. He still didn't want anyone to talk to Topolsky. But I knew it was time for some kind of intervention on my part. I just didn't want to involve the others. Unfortunately, Maria caught me looking for her car keys in her locker at the CrashDown and wouldn't let it go. She saw I had the orb and figured out where I was going.**

**_"You're going to meet Topolsky, aren't you? After everything you said to the others." _**

**_"Yeah, well… just don't tell them, all right? I gotta do this thing, but it's safer if I do it alone."_**

**_"I'm going!"_**

**_"No!"_**

**_"Hello, Sheriff? Hi! My car's been stolen."_**

**Did I say Maria had a way with words? I wasn't thrilled about it, but she did make a very good case. To complicate matters, she started to leave Liz a note telling her where we were going, but Liz walked in and saw us. Then Liz told Max and the others, and they all came after us in Max's jeep. I had intended to do this as the Avenger, but that wasn't an option now. We were going to have to meet with Topolsky… all of us… as ourselves. **

**I won't go into how Max walloped me and demanded I give him the orb back. In his shoes, I probably would have done the same thing. But it didn't change anything.**

**_"Topolsky says it's a communicator, Max… It does something when it's with another one, and I gotta find out what it is."_**

**Then Valenti showed up; and at the same time, someone else drove up and got out of another car.**

**_"I'm sorry,"_ the other man said, _"but Ms. Topolsky won't be meeting you tonight… or any other night."_**

**I nodded_. "So she wasn't lying. You killed her, and now you're here to kill us?"_**

**_"No, Michael, he's not,"_ Valenti said._ "This man is from Bethesda, Maryland. His name is Dr. Malcolm Margolin. He stopped by my office this morning… explained a few things about Ms. Topolsky."_**

**Dr. Margolin nodded. _"I've been treating Kathleen for the last six weeks… She had a breakdown. She's paranoid delusional. That means that she's desperately afraid of things that don't exist… to the point that she makes up elaborate scenarios to justify the fears that she has… We traced her credit card here to Roswell, and when I caught up with her she was hysterical… talking about meeting you around here… something about an orb. The sheriff said he knew you and that you'd had trouble with her in the past. I didn't want anything to happen to you out here."_**

**I've got to tell you, I was tingling all over from my 'lies radar.' This man didn't know us from Adam and he wanted us to believe that he came all the way up here just to save us some trouble? And he's supposed to be a doctor, but he's telling everybody Kathleen is paranoid delusional. Doctors are supposed to keep patients' records confidential. We were nobody to him. Why was he telling us this? I wasn't buying it. But I went along with it. It was the safest thing to do for everyone. I could do my own checking later… the way I wanted to in the first place.**

**_"I checked it all out,"_ Valenti said, vouching for him. _"The doctor is who he says he is, and Topolsky spent the last month in a mental hospital. I think it's safe to disregard anything she's been saying… to any of us."_**

**The doctor smiled._ "I'm sorry to have caused you this inconvenience. And don't worry about Kathleen. She should be back in Bethesda by now under the best care available. So please… no more late-night trips to the middle of nowhere. Anything could be out here, and I'd hate to see any harm come to you on our account."_**

**Valenti nodded. _"Thank you, Doctor. I'm sure we'll all sleep better. So it's over. You can go home now."_**

**I'm looking at this so-called doctor and at Jim and thinking, is Jim really buying this guy's mumbo-jumbo? I mean, he may be a real psychiatrist, or whatever, but his story was so fishy that I expected to see sea gulls circling overhead! Well, if it wasn't the middle of the night anyway. And that's another thing. What real doctor makes house calls in the middle of the night… much less comes all the way up to Buckley Point just to ease our minds and make sure we're going to be okay? No, he wanted us to forget about Kathleen and stop pursuing this. And I was sure Jim knew it. Jim's smarter than that. But if he was, he was putting up a real good front. **

**I looked around to see where the orb was. I had dropped it when the place became overcrowded. Unfortunately, Valenti spotted it first and picked it up. Max was none too pleased with me right then, but I knew that there would be time to mend those fences later… after I got the orb back.**

**When everyone was back home and asleep, I made my own move… the way I had wanted to in the first place… alone. I took Max's keys and jeep, without him knowing it, and headed back to Buckley Point. I parked the jeep a little ways away, over the hill, and walked the rest of the way so no one would hear me coming. When I got there I saw a car drive off… and Kathleen was looking out the back window. She looked positively terrified. So she wasn't back in Maryland after all. She had come to meet us. We were just intercepted by this Dr. Margolin person and sent home before she arrived. If she was crazy, it wasn't because of any breakdown, it was for good cause. She had very good reason to fear for her life. And so did we. I knew that now. What I didn't know… yet… was that it was Agent Pierce driving the car with Topolsky in it. But I was about to find that out.**

**As I was walking back to the jeep I passed a hiker, and the way he looked at me set off alarms inside me. I could say it was an Avenger tingle… kinda like the Spidey tingle thing… but the truth is there was something about his eyes. Then it hit me. Dr. Margolin had that same intense look in his eyes. But this man was obviously not Dr. Margolin. Or was he? Call it intuition, but I played a hunch…**

**"Hello, Nasedo."**

**"Lower your voice. You don't know who could be listening."**

**"So it was you. You were Dr. Margolin. You shape-shifted. You fooled Valenti and tried to fool us with a story about Topolsky being crazy. What do you have to do with Kathleen Topolsky, Nasedo?"**

**"Nothing. I was trying to save your sorry asses. All of you. The story about her being in a mental ward was true… and Dr. Margolin is real. He's one of them. So the story checked out when the sheriff checked. Would you expect anything less of me?" **

**"No."**

**"You don't know what you're dealing with, Michael. These people are ruthless… and they're connected. They are a serious danger. They would kill you all and sleep like babies afterwards. They have no remorse."**

**"Mmm. I guess you would understand that. I seem to have heard something about you lacking that particular emotion, Nasedo."**

**"It's a useless emotion. It gets in the way of what must be done. But I have never killed without reason."**

**"Whose reason?"**

**"Mine. The only one that matters. I am supposed to protect you and Max… our king. I can't do that properly if I let useless emotions get in my way."**

**"I used to think like you once… kind of. Not about killing, but about the emotions thing. I've grown."**

**"Good for you. It'll get you killed some day. And maybe get our king killed, too. And while we're talking about useless things… what the hell is that you're wearing… under your jacket?"**

**"Oh… mmm, well. You weren't supposed to see that. It's just… my underclothes."**

**"Looks more like pajamas… the women's variety."**

**"Shows how much you know. This is what all the kids in school are wearing these days."**

**"What does the big A stand for?"**

**"You wouldn't understand."**

**Nasedo was silent for a moment then nodded. "It has something to do with sentimentality… an emotion that may get you killed, Michael."**

**"That's my problem. You know what, Nasedo, I'd rather die than never to have lived."**

**"Soon enough you may be dead, if you don't listen to me. Then you will have your wish."**

**"Living is more than just being alive, Nasedo. It's having someone who cares about you… really cares about you. And caring about them."**

**"Well, from what I've seen, our king is equally as smitten and as useless as you right now. Oh, don't get me wrong. He's our king… he has the sign, and I'm bound to protect him. But the only one of the three of you who has any sense is Isabel. And I've been watching her and that boy… Alex, isn't it? She's one step away from letting emotions take over her life, too. It's a good thing you have me to watch over you all."**

**"Is it just duty, Nasedo? Do you feel nothing else?"**

**Nasedo breathed in deeply then exhaled slowly. "What I feel… you would not understand. I do feel a duty to protect you… and something else. But I could not let that get in my way… if it became an impediment."**

**"Of course. Well, I guess that's something. There's hope for you."**

**"Not if we're caught with you wearing women's pajamas."**

**"It's covered up. It's a uniform, not pajamas… You weren't supposed to see it. No one was. It's just… you wouldn't understand."**

**"Maybe I do."**

**"We ought to do something to help Topolsky," I said, trying to change the subject. "She risked her life to warn us about the danger we face."**

**"Forget her. There's nothing you or anyone else can do for her now. She chose the people she associated with and they turned on her. You had nothing to do with her fate. None of you did. It was of her own doing. She's being taken far away from here… to a place you could never get in. That was Agent Pierce himself driving the car that took her away. Forget her. Everything she said about him is true."**

**"It's hard to forget someone who risked their life for you."**

**"It's her or you… and Max and Isabel… and maybe Maria, too. Which is more important to you?"**

**Nasedo did have a way of putting an unpleasant perspective on things. But he had a point. Several of them really. Not the least of which was that I had no idea where they had taken Topolsky. It was, as Nasedo said, probably far away and somewhere where I would not be able to find her, much less save her. I didn't like it, but she was on her own… unless I got a miraculous break. But that didn't seem likely right now. I just hoped she would be all right. **

**I gave Nasedo a ride to the edge of town and he got out there, then I dropped Max's jeep off in front of his house and walked to Sheriff Valenti's office. I don't know why but I just had a feeling he would be there tonight even though it was already almost 4 A.M. The light was on in his office, so I climbed in through the window. He didn't even bother to turn around. **

**"Couldn't sleep, Michael?"**

**"No. Looks like you couldn't either."**

**"I had some matters to attend to."**

**"You didn't believe that Dr. Margolin guy, did you, Sheriff?"**

**"Nope."**

**"Why'd you bring him up there then?"**

**"Whoever he really was, Michael, he's dangerous… but he was trying to get you off the trail of someone even more dangerous. That told me that he wanted you to stay alive. That's a sentiment I agree with."**

**"But Topolsky…"**

**The mention of Kathleen caused Jim to flinch, and he closed his eyes for a moment.**

**"There's nothing you can do for her, Michael. Let me do what I can do from here. I have legal contacts. If I can't help her, you certainly can't."**

**"I just wanted to make sure… someone tried."**

**Jim nodded. "Yeah."**

**"Well, it's after 4 in the morning. I guess I better get home and get a little sleep… if you're on the case and all."**

**"Do Avengers sleep, Michael?" Jim asked with a half grin.**

**I pulled my jacket back over the big A.**

**"Yeah. Avengers sleep."**

**End of Episode 116**

**tbc…**


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